Silent Consonant
by Dr.Kim-chan
Summary: "12 and 13 make 25. One is missing. 12 knows why." *Chaps. 53, 54, 55 Up* As Beyond's Interpol trial gets underway in Japan, several lapses in judgment (including Light's) further complicate the Yotsuba case and threaten to expose Twelve. Meanwhile, Higuchi tries to rein in his co-conspirators, and Misa doesn't yet know how all of this will eventually involve her...
1. See Nothing, Hear Everything

Title: Silent Consonant

By: Dr. Kim-chan

Author's Note: It's the Good Doc, back in the fic-writing circuit yet again, adding yet another Death Note story under my belt. All my other stories, such as "Bakery Boys" and "Ronin Note", will be resumed shortly (mainly because the flash drive that held my fic files went on the fritz before finally dying on me), but this idea came to me while surfing through page after page of Beyond Birthday fanart.

The events of the novel "Death Note: Another Note" (and to some degree, the main series itself) seemed to suggest that fate is inevitable; that some people are just destined to do things that set off a whole 'nother dizzying chain of events. However, let's take two events: one that never happened, and one that did, and alter them. The outcomes may have been different, and yet still, no one comes out entirely unscathed.

Especially not L.

* * *

The idle gossip of his fellow classmates merged together, the low whispers and soft giggles registering in his ears like the low rumbles of thunder that precipitated an approaching storm.

Somehow, though, he blocked out every bit of information he deemed useless until he could pick up on the familiar drone of the teacher's lecture, though if truth be told, hearing what he'd already studied diligently on his own was useless in itself. Constantly receiving high scores on tests both real and practice, serving as an example to Japanese students everywhere…such a high intelligence had both its advantages and downfalls, and even to an intelligent mind, it was difficult to weigh each list against each other and decide which path to take.

However, even with no one to relate to, it didn't necessarily mean that socialization was a priority. For Light Yagami, his path was more or less clear-cut, and any additional frivolous commitments would only obscure his destination. It was his last year of high school, and all the years of hard work would eventually pay off as he took (and almost certainly pass) university entrance exams—he was seriously considering To-Oh University—then a few years later he would follow in his father's footsteps and become part of the Japanese police force. As to whether he would also become chief like his father, only a future further hidden away from Light's view would tell.

For now, all that was in his view was the afternoon sun streaming in through the window, the vast courtyard and the other buildings that encompassed the school grounds.

To see something, and yet feel an incomprehensible distance…the inconsolable thought that there was nothing new to experience, nothing and no one to challenge his own personal world, that beyond the glaring sunlight was a world full of people who couldn't understand him…

Yes, intelligence certainly had its downfalls.

The sunlight barely penetrated his caramel eyes, glossed over from an intense boredom…

He barely had time to take a quick glance at his textbook when something black outside the window entered the outermost peripheries of his vision.

_Huh?_

Startled, Light began to turn his head for a closer look…

"Mr. Yagami."

The sound of the teacher's voice abruptly stole his attention, and his focus was all too swiftly brought back to the dark reality of the classroom.

"Will you please translate this passage?"

Not missing a beat, Light picked up the textbook and stood up from his chair, but at the very last second he stole another glance at the window.

Nothing.

…_Just a bird, probably._

His eyes scanned for the beginning of the prescribed paragraph, and then he began to read.

* * *

Light sighed as his hand alighted on the front gate of his house. Even the commute to and from school never failed to remind him of the supposed futility of human existence.

En route home, towering above an insanely busy crosswalk at the very center of the city, was an enormous television screen not unlike the ones sitting in the living rooms and bedrooms of most people's homes. And every day, it seemed, newscasters sat behind their desks, faced the cameras with faces fit for a morgue, and informed the masses about unfortunate murders, corrupt politicians, robberies both petty and grand, trials and mistrials, halfhearted social commentary. The unhappy routine only repeated itself when he went to cram school in the evenings. It all suggested, and only served to add to, a profound fog of pessimism growing beyond itself and others' control, spreading to even a relatively peaceful country like Japan ("relatively" being the operative word).

Taking all this into account, Light both admired and criticized his father's line of work. The rational part of his mind knew that the Japanese police force (or any police force across the world, for that matter) couldn't possibly eradicate crime entirely. As long as there were those who held their own interests in mind, crime wouldn't disappear. But at the very least, the emotional side of Light's mind argued, they could do more. Forensics and bureaucratic red tape would only get so far.

_Just a few more years_, he assured himself, opening the front door. _Then I can make a difference._

"I'm home," he said out loud as he stepped into the _genkan_.

Almost as soon as he began taking his shoes off, his mother, Sachiko, stepped into the hallway, face beaming.

"Welcome home, Light. You take your practice exam today, don't you?"

Light nodded listlessly.

"All right. Hurry and change, then. And good luck, honey."

He sighed. "Thanks, Mom, I'll try my best."

Same as usual…

At least, until late that afternoon.

* * *

The monotony of the day usually dragged on, even into the early hours of the night, but when Light walked into his assigned classroom of his cram school, the first vestiges of a future beyond his reckoning whispered to him—or rather, whispered to each other.

The percentage of students who attended cram school with genuine intentions was significantly higher than those who attended high school, but still rather paltry compared to Light's lofty standards, so certainly it wasn't unusual to hear gossip flying around the room in the moments before the teacher arrived. However, there was one conversation in particular that Light felt was worthy of a few moments of his time.

"_You heard of L, right?_"

"_You mean that famous detective? What about him?_"

Light immediately leaned in to better hear the two boys sitting a couple of seats away. Certainly _he _had heard of L, mainly through his father. If the situation warranted it, the mysterious entity many knew only as L rose up to solve the problem, either alone or with the assistance of the police or more higher-ranked agencies—if it could be called "assistance". No one except an equally mysterious man known only as 'Watari' could meet him face-to-face, and if anything all the police could do was pull strings within the country where the crime originated and act as eyes and ears to whatever place L himself couldn't get to.

Though Light had helped the Japanese police with a case before, he never had the chance to meet L "in person" (as far as the definition of that phrase can go in L's circumstances), but he was one of the rare few Light admired completely. L was everything the police wasn't: free from the bounds of proper procedure, highly intelligent, able to take on the filth of the world however he pleased…

"_I hear he's suddenly gone missing._"

Light raised a skeptical brow, and so did the boy on the direct receiving end of this news.

"_How can they tell? No one's ever actually seen or met him, right? Maybe he's working on a really sensitive case…besides, you know Internet rumors. Can't prove 'em one way or another._"

The first boy shrugged. "_I just heard that he had taken on a few more cases, and then one day they stopped getting any more information from him, and some of them started raising a stink about it. Of course they can't contact him directly to ask where he is, but apparently this has been going on for months…_"

Before the second boy or Light could hear any more, the creak of a door alerted the students to the arrival of the teacher, and the two conversationalists hastily hissed promises to continue the conversation after class was over, leaving Light to stare intently at the polish of his desk as he pondered what he'd just heard.

The modern world's greatest detective…missing?

If all of this was true, then did it allow the possibility that even L had been defeated by this rotten world?

He shook his head. He also had to keep in mind that, as far as he knew, this was a rumor that had come from the Internet, a sketchy realm if one was looking for honest information, and even if the stories of L abruptly cutting communications with various agencies were true, there was no way to verify the detective's reasons for doing so. If nothing else, L was known to be a notorious recluse.

The shuffle of papers signaled students passing copies of tests to each other, but Light suddenly perked up for another reason entirely.

No, there _was _a way to verify that information.

It was ashamedly simple, but only he could do it.

* * *

"So when do you get the test results back?"

Light gingerly picked up his pair of chopsticks, looking as unruffled as possible despite the rare fluttering of nervousness interfering with his appetite. From the outside, the atmosphere couldn't have been less tense. He was done with cram school (though a bit more studying before bed awaited him), and now he was in the middle of having dinner with his family. The TV in the adjoining living room droned on, an informative tonal soundtrack to the small talk being generated among the rest of his family.

Speaking of which…he barely snapped out of his reverie in time to hear one of his mother's questions.

"In a few days," he answered, picking among his bowl of rice and homemade pickles.

Beside him, his sister Sayu sighed melodramatically.

"You make it sound so easy. I'm still having problems with algebra." She glared at her older brother and pointed an accusing finger at him. "You're gonna help me with my homework tonight, right?"

"Yeah, sure."

A slight smile barely broke Light's lips apart, but he sobered up once he caught another glance at his father, who was sitting at the head of the table. Soichiro's expression betrayed the many worries and stresses he faced at work, even when given the rare opportunity to return home and enjoy a home-cooked meal.

Ever since Light came back home, he had been rehearsing how to ply his father for information. A number of factors depended on the success of such questioning, including disposition, how classified the information was, and how Light himself initiated the conversation.

For one last time, Light reviewed his motivations. He himself didn't have any personal investment in L, and it didn't affect his life either way if it turned out to be true or not. Then again, it raised many concerns that he himself would have to face sooner or later. L was a strong conduit among police everywhere, and how interesting it would be if, just as he was preparing to enter his father's line of work, L himself disappeared. It would stage one of the world's greatest mysteries: how do you find someone if the only one who could possibly gather an inkling of understanding from so little clues was the missing person himself?

If for no other reason, it would certainly break the monotony of his life.

Still, Light figured, he would have to go about this delicately.

Which meant no direct questions.

"I heard a strange rumor at cram school tonight," Light mentioned flippantly.

As he expected, everyone jumped to attention, especially Sayu.

"I thought you weren't the type to gossip," she teased.

"Not about childish things," Light retorted. "And I only heard it; I wasn't actually participating in the conversation."

"So? What was it?" Sayu pressed.

Light bit his lip, prepared to take the plunge.

"Some people were saying that no one's heard from L lately. They're even saying he might have disappeared."

Sayu raised an eyebrow. "L?"

"Yeah. You remember—that famous detective they're always talking about on the news?"

"Oh, I've heard of him. Dad's talked about him before, right?"

Light nodded, and out of the corner of his eye he saw his father's eyebrow twitch slightly.

"Of course, it was a rumor, so the rumor could've just simply been that, but it's a shame if it's true," Light continued, considering himself safe for now. "L's handled a lot of difficult cases before."

"Yeah, but still, L's just one guy. Even if he is gone or retired or whatever, Dad can handle anything that happens here, right?"

Ironically, this encouraging comment from Sayu was the one to finally break Soichiro's gloom.

"Thank you, Sayu, but sometimes cases do come along where we need some outside assistance, and L has proven to be a rather valuable asset."

He looked down at his plate, trying to hold down a weary sigh in his chest and failing.

"Which makes the situation all the more disconcerting."

(End Chapter One)


	2. Interpol, Interloping

Title: Silent Consonant

By: Dr. Kim-chan

Author's Note: Wow, I didn't expect so much positive feedback in such a short time (I uploaded this story at…like three in the morning yesterday. I come back at ten AM to see one review, 24 hits, and two Story Alerts). Thank you for your support, and yes, major cliffhanger in the first chapter, but I really didn't know any other way to end it. Speaking of not knowing, I have no idea what genre to place this fic in. I mean, it _will_ be drama, but it'll also be suspense and mystery. Maybe even a sprinkling of angst. Argh.

(And just so you know, I have no idea how Interpol meetings work. I did my best.)

Well, whatever category it ultimately ends up in, enjoy.

Oh, and I forgot this in the first chapter (almost always do)…

Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note whatsoever. You'd think the fact that I'm writing fanfiction instead of changing the plot of the manga/anime at my whim would be enough to tip anyone off.

* * *

_A little more than a week ago…_

* * *

Even in this age, where technology, evolving ideologies, and a gradual erosion of morals prepared prime opportunities for intercontinental crime, it was still a rare occurrence—and one _not _to be taken lightly—when the leading members of Interpol called an emergency meeting.

Being chief of the Japanese police forces, Soichiro was under obligation to attend any meeting he could. To be on the safe side, this time he chose another officer to accompany him: a fairly young investigator named Touta Matsuda. Though notorious within the office for his rashness and tendency to overlook small but potentially crucial details, Matsuda's strength lay in his communication skills and ability to readily absorb information, however small or insignificant. Also, he was long overdue for attending his first Interpol meeting, and though Matsuda hadn't heard of L during the short course of his career, this occasion would serve as an invaluable learning experience.

Given the nature of the meeting, then, it was hardly a surprise to see Matsuda's eyes dart nervously around the enormous conference room, the harsh light of the projector screen on the front wall contributing to the illusion of fear. In the murkiness, multilingual whispers wavered on the air like ghosts, only to die down as the organization's president took the center podium and called everyone to attention.

"First and foremost, I would like to apologize for calling this meeting on such short notice. However, the matter which has suddenly come to our attention is as such that speed, efficiency, and cooperation will prove beneficial to us."

The president looked around the room, gauging the fragile composure of his audience before continuing.

"It has been brought to Interpol's attention by a handful of our member countries, in particular France, England, Brazil, China, Russia, and the United States, that they have recently been receiving assistance in a number of high-profile cases from the distinguished detective known as 'L'. A few months ago, however, they've stopped seeing any movement on L's part, and he's sent no further data or given any progress reports since then."

Matsuda's brow crumpled in a mixture of confusion and skepticism, but Soichiro's face remained stony.

"As you all may very well know, what makes this particularly distressing is that there's no way for any outside party to contact L directly. As such, there's also no way to verify whether or not he is merely going about these cases in a new way. However, the abruptness of this communications cut-off, coupled with the duration of inactivity, has been causing due concern."

A ripple of murmurs broke the hard silence, and then the representative from France spoke.

"Well, none of us can contact L directly, but we also know that there is one person with that authority. What about Watari?"

"That was the first consideration, but Watari is just as difficult to contact as L. Besides, there is no longer need for that."

"No need? We _are _talking about the world's premier detective simply vanishing into thin air!"

"Please, gentlemen. Also keep in mind that I said this has been going on for a couple of months. Since then we have tried to inquire about L's whereabouts so that the investigation of the cases he has been handling up to date could resume on course. Then, a few weeks ago, Interpol's General Assembly was contacted by Watari himself."

This immediately silenced the crowd, but the calm that descended upon them wasn't one of relief. The tone of the president's voice seemed to say it all.

"…According to the information he gave us, at around the same time the countries involved with L at the time stopped receiving further data from him, L had broken off all contact with Watari as well."

Predictably, this sent the conference room into a full-blown uproar, and for the first time in years, the weight of dread crept into Soichiro's stomach, a sensation that, up until now, had been dulled by a long and eventful career.

Matsuda, on the other hand, looked even more confused than before, and Soichiro took the opportunity to explain.

"I explained about L earlier," he whispered. "Watari is…well, we consider him the go-between between L and all the various law enforcement agencies, including Interpol. As far as we know, he's the only one who has direct contact with L."

A glimmer of comprehension finally crossed Matsuda's face, as well as some of the same worry his elder colleague had. He didn't need to be told that none of this meant good news.

"Given the circumstances," the president continued when everyone finally quieted down, "Interpol is faced with a serious predicament, which brings us to the purpose of this meeting. Watari has requested that we cooperate both with him and each other in order to discover L's whereabouts."

This simple proclamation stunned everyone into silence, and somehow order was the result.

"Pardon me for stating what may be the obvious, but the gist of your statement suggests that even Watari doesn't have a clue where L is," the England representative said. "So what does he expect us to do?"

"To explore any and every possibility. L could be anywhere. We must also remember that while Watari may have been closest to L, he is comparatively more limited in contacts and resources than we are as a group, especially now that he no longer has association with L. He has agreed to assist us by providing us with all pertinent information, but that may be difficult in itself. There are concerns of security. Whether alive or dead, L is still an integral figure in the realms of crime and law enforcement alike. Any leak to the public or the media could result in vicious reprisal, though I fear we may already be too late …"

"Well, if we're going to be staging a global manhunt, staying out of the limelight will be the least of our worries," another European rep shot back. "And before we talk about methodology or whatever Watari wishes to share with us, we have to take him up on his offer first."

"Do we have any objections?"

"I don't think we have the luxury of objecting," Germany's rep interjected. "This is about more than the credibility of the countries of those agencies who were working with L. What do you think will happen when a future case comes up in which we may need his assistance? As the president said, those who are and have been pursued by L will almost certainly try to use this to their advantage, and then we'll have a real problem on our hands."

"And therein lies the problem," a Middle Eastern man in one of the middle rows growled. "The way you speak, you make it seem as if we may have become too dependent on L."

"Dependency isn't the issue here!" another representative shouted. "We are talking about the rare circumstances, present and future, in which we ourselves wouldn't be able to handle a case as an individual group. It's not as if we run to him for _everything_. Besides, L was never no more eager to jump at the chance to help us either."

"I agree. This doesn't have as much to do with dependency as much as it has to do with the fact that we're dealing with a huge liability. Certainly there's no end to those who'll try to get away with their crimes now that whispers about L's disappearance have begun…or have already done so."

"We're overlooking something else. Does anyone even have the faintest idea why L cut all communications in the first place? What was his motivation?"

"It's possible he simply retired…"

"Ridiculous! If that was the case he would have informed us of this decision, including Watari, instead of suddenly dropping his caseload and vanishing to who-knows-where—quite irresponsibly, I might add!"

"Which is another reason we should vote in favor of assisting with this investigation," the representative from Spain chimed in. "If we rule out retirement, and leave out the possibility of death until we can actually come up with a body, we may be looking at international conspiracy…in a word, kidnapping. At worst, this could be a murder yet to be uncovered."

The entire room shuddered collectively.

"Besides," the Spain rep added, "if we can forget for a moment that this is L we're talking about, it still doesn't change the fact that this is a situation that can be best handled by Interpol. Maybe it can _only_ be handled by Interpol. This is case that, by all considerations, falls under our jurisdiction. If nothing else, there is a responsibility to be upheld."

"And even if there's nothing to worry about, we run just as equal a risk if we don't do something."

At long last, sounds of what was more or less approval reverberated throughout the conference room.

"Is it agreed, then?" the president asked in a voice stained with weariness. A unanimous response softly roared back at him.

"Then it's settled. Interpol will formally accept Watari's request and initiate a full-scale investigation into L's current status and whereabouts."

Suddenly, Soichiro and Matsuda (and most likely a few others) caught the president looking furtively to the side at one of the hidden entrances/exits at the bottom of the conference room, and an uneasy silence struck everyone dumb as the clack of footsteps echoed throughout the space.

As if he'd emerged from the shadows, a tall figure cloaked in an ankle-length trench stepped out in front of his captive audience, his face partially hidden by a tipped fedora.

"Thank you for your cooperation, gentlemen. I assure you, your efforts will be well appreciated, and I will do everything to the best of my ability to ensure L's safe return to duty."

Not so much as a whisper…except for one.

"Is that Watari?" Matsuda asked in disbelief.

Soichiro nodded, and the young investigator's face immediately turned sour.

"Has he been standing back there the whole time?"

"Looks like it," Soichiro muttered. "But the fact that he wanted to sit in on the very first meeting should make everyone here that much more aware of the gravity of the situation. He didn't want to waste any time."

They looked on as the Interpol president stepped away from the podium to allow Watari to use the microphone.

"Now that this is an official investigation, we can discuss in detail what needs to be done. As to your concerns about the media, independent sources have told me that there have already been leaks in regard to this case. At this point, then, I believe we can use this to our advantage if we exercise a bit of information control. If we are dealing with conspiracy, then those interested may already know we are aware of this, and projecting an attitude of indifference may actually hurt our cause."

More murmuring, but no one objected. If anyone could think of a better game plan to find the world's greatest detective, it'd be Watari.

"Another reason I don't perceive the media to be a threat is that we can keep the search to a minimum for the moment. However, this will not make it any easier."

Louder murmurs, but still no objection.

"I was separated from L at the time he broke off communications with me, performing standard errands for him, so I know of his last location. However, before I left, he expressed to me an interest in returning to a location we've been to a few years before, so whether he went for personal reasons or was taken somewhere else entirely, I cannot be certain."

"And where was that?"

The lone, crucial question came from Soichiro himself, who didn't typically speak at Interpol meetings unless he was asked or motivated to. With the austere silence that had come over the conference room in the past three minutes, the unexpected question felt almost rude, but Watari merely gave him the answer he and everyone else had been waiting for.

"Los Angeles."

(End Chapter Two)


	3. Escape and Entrapment

Title: Silent Consonant

By: Dr. Kim-chan

Author's Note: Sorry for the delay. I would've had this up sooner, but for the past two days something weird was going on whenever I tried to log in to FF.N, and yet everyone else was updating like crazy. (heaves sigh) On the upside, I have Chapter Four done as well, so the next update will come up very shortly.

For a really short recap, remember in the first chapter when I said the fic pretty much depends on two events: one that happened that didn't, and one that didn't that did (sorry, I know that sounds a little confusing). The first event we've seen (the one that happened that didn't) is Light _not _finding the Death Note. Now we'll see the other.

And to clarify, the timeline will be a little weird for a while, since we're working backwards first to get a good idea of what happened to L and what's in store for Light. First chapter was in "present time" (around the time where Light would have found the Death Note); the second chapter was a week before that, at the Interpol meeting. Now the third chapter's going back even further.

Thanks for your support, and enjoy.

Warning: If you have not read "Death Note, Another Note: The Los Angeles BB Murder Cases", this and future parts of this story will go right over your head.

* * *

_Two months earlier…_

* * *

The lights of Los Angeles fluttered past her at nearly eighty miles an hour, like fireflies on nitro, the colors rendered monochromatic by the visor of her helmet. At this late hour, not many cars were racing alongside the female rider's motorcycle down the Hollywood Freeway—nothing more than coincidence, since the nightlife tended to slow down even in a busy city like L.A., but it was a blessing in disguise. The fewer cars there were, the faster she could reach Omni Hotel.

Because if what was going on right now meant nothing else, it certainly meant a threat to her new future.

* * *

Time had passed—almost at a whirlwind's pace—for Naomi Misora, the FBI agent who had inexplicably found herself caught in a intellectual feud between two eccentric geniuses, cleverly disguised as the grisly Los Angeles BB Murder Cases.

After coming face-to-face with Beyond and involuntarily joining forces with his mysterious archenemy L, the results of Beyond's arrest were surprisingly low-key. All the public knew was that someone by the odd name of Beyond Birthday had been apprehended, and L may have had some involvement, but no one knew for sure. Naomi also received a mixed reaction from her superiors at the FBI. Being off-duty at the time, acting on her own initiative could have been perceived to be a little more than foolhardy, but because it was L, they could overlook that and give her a bit of praise for taking yet another dangerous criminal off the streets.

Still, the whole experience had left her drained. Naomi had already held some doubts about returning to the FBI, but her encounter with L tipped the scales of her conscience.

So, not long after Beyond's conviction, Naomi resigned.

_Let Raye deal with the melodrama_, she'd thought cynically at the time, but in truth she worried how she'd adjust. She hadn't been nicknamed Misora Massacre for nothing; she'd dedicated herself completely to the job, and she was restless by nature.

Ultimately, she shrugged it off. She'd worry about the possibility of a career revival after the wedding.

Naomi's best excuse for quitting the FBI came from her boyfriend and then-fellow FBI agent Raye Penber. He was the only one to whom she'd come clean after the Los Angeles BB Murder Cases was solved, but he hadn't been too terribly upset. He couldn't have been; shortly after she quit the FBI, he marked the occasion with a marriage proposal.

The marriage was still a ways off, but recently they were in the midst of planning a trip to Japan so Raye could meet his potential in-laws. Immersed in preparations, little by little, Naomi had been adjusting to the rhythm of her new life.

Until the old one came back.

* * *

On the morning preceding the night of what would become a last-minute trip to the Omni Hotel, Raye had left for work, and Naomi had been brushing her hair in the bathroom, listening halfheartedly to the television set in the other room. Longing welled up within her for a cup of strong coffee, and she was about to gently set the brush down on the edge of the sink and go to the kitchen when she heard the words:

"…_our top story: last night, a convicted serial killer escaped from a California maximum-security prison. Sources say the escapee was the same person who committed the infamous "Wara Ningyo Murders" that had terrorized central Los Angeles…_"

_Clack._

The brush fell to the floor.

Forgetting all about hair or coffee, Naomi stumbled out of the bathroom, eyes focused squarely on the TV set as if she was daring the news anchor to repeat what he'd just said. Of course, being as how a mental connection like that couldn't possibly manifest, the man continued for a while longer, mentioning when the incident occurred, a guard who was gravely injured, what the local authorities were doing about it, and giving precautions to L.A. denizens before moving on to the next story.

Two seconds…three seconds…four…

"…Damn it!" she cursed, sinking onto the bed as if someone had beaten her in a contest.

A thousand emotions emerged all at once, not one of them happiness. It sounded cliché, but truly, it was the _last _thing she needed to have happen right now.

After the initial shock and dismay, however, the analytical mind she took away from her experience in the FBI began taking over.

The first question to pop up was 'Why?'. It sounded strange, given that many possible answers came up quickly, but as someone who had encountered Beyond's state of mind firsthand, it was a valid question. It was clear that the murders themselves hadn't been his goal; he'd wanted to fabricate a mystery so complex that even L himself couldn't solve it, thus proving that he was better than him. As to the origin of _this _single-minded motivation, Naomi never discovered why, but when Beyond was caught trying to set himself on fire, he sat through the trial and conviction process calmly, accepting his fate, regretting nothing but his failure to finish what he started. He never once revealed a desire for more vengeance.

Or did it simply run so deeply that it no longer showed on his face?

And, Naomi reminded herself begrudgingly, she never suspected Rue Ryuuzaki and Beyond Birthday had been one in the same, either.

Had Beyond even made it to Los Angeles yet? Was L.A. really his destination? He would want to go after L, wouldn't he?

Unless…

Naomi shot straight up.

She was the one who stopped his plans, the one who saved him from death, and thus denied him vindication.

Naomi wondered if Raye had already heard the news at work. While she often teased and/or berated him for being a worrywart, in this case it was entirely justified. Her mind began to race. They had to leave town as soon as possible, at least temporarily. Her parents weren't expecting them in Japan for another two weeks, but would it be possible to move up the departure date…?

A loud beep rang out, breaking her train of thought. Her head snapped to and fro in every direction until she found the source of the noise: her cell phone. She dashed to the nightstand it was sitting on, almost certain it was Raye, but when she checked the caller ID it was blank.

Reluctantly, she answered.

"Hello?"

"_This is L._"

Her eyes bulged out. You couldn't mention Beyond without L, but she certainly didn't expect to hear back from him…or at least, what _sounded _like him. Being in the FBI for so long, she knew when a voice modifier was being used.

"_I can't talk for long; we'll have time for that soon enough. I take it you've already heard the news concerning Beyond's escape. I'm already in Los Angeles—_"

"Wait a minute!" Naomi protested, ignoring the reclusive detective on the other line. "They said he escaped last night. How are you already—"

"_He told me._"

"…"

"_Shortly before his trial, I had requested to perform a private interrogation, and he mentioned a few rather…unsettling things, but nothing I thought to be serious at first. After that, B was convicted and went to jail without any further incident, and I believed that to be the end of it. Recently, though, most likely by manipulating a computer somewhere inside the prison, he found his way into my system and started sending me a series of cryptic clues. I don't think the threat is as such that he's after my life or yours, but it'd be a mistake to underestimate him. His most recent clue came a couple of weeks ago, and by the time I had solved it, it was two days prior to last night. The clue itself was, in fact, a warning that he would soon escape._"

"What about me, then? What am I supposed to do?" Naomi demanded, her voice shaking slightly. She never knew exactly why, but talking to L always ruffled her up, let alone the matter of Beyond running free in California. "How do I even know I'm talking to the real L?"

"_During the investigation, after you were attacked one night in an alley, you told me you defended yourself by using a type of Brazilian martial arts. Capoeira, I believe it was called._"

Silence.

Naomi took a deep breath and exhaled, relieved. No, no one except L _would _have known that.

"Okay..."

"_As for the reason why I contacted you, it is not simply because of your previous involvement with B. When B alerted me to his plan to escape, he also made it a point to challenge me to return to Los Angeles. Also, not only have we worked closely together already, but you are one of the very few to have seen me in person…_"

This send Naomi's mind reeling. _When the hell did that happen?_, she thought.

She barely had time to respond, however, as L continued talking.

"…_and the circumstances are as such that I feel I will benefit from your assistance again. I am…a bit limited at the moment._"

Naomi sighed again. This was all happening _way _too fast, but it couldn't be helped. Whatever it took to send Beyond back to prison, she'd do it.

"Fine. Where _exactly_ in Los Angeles are you?"

"_As I said, I'm limited at the moment, and that goes for resources as well. I'll have to give you my location in code, and I'd like you to meet me tonight around one-thirty AM. I'm certain you'll solve it by then. However, please keep this in your head; don't write it or record it anywhere…_"

* * *

For the sixty-seventh time, Naomi reviewed the code, trying to convince herself that she'd figured it out correctly before she veered onto the ramp leading traffic from the Hollywood Freeway to North Grand Avenue.

L had also warned her against telling Raye, but that was a no-brainer. Running out to meet the world-famous detective in the middle of the night, at a time when the criminal they helped to put behind bars slipped out between those bars…no, it wasn't exactly the safest thing to do, but nothing about Naomi's life up until a couple of years ago had been safe.

Besides, if she didn't do anything, things would only get more dangerous.

A few minutes later, North Grand Avenue turned to South Grand, and after navigating a couple of confusing dead-end streets, she turned onto West 4th Street, and then finally to South Olive Street.

As she parked on the other side of the street and stared at the curvy facade of the Omni Hotel, an uneasy feeling settled in her stomach, but no sooner did she cut the engine of her motorcycle did her cell phone ring.

"Hello?"

"_How many palm trees do you see directly in front of you?_"

Without even batting an eyelash at the bizarre question, Naomi started counting.

"If you're talking fully matured, then three."

"_...I'm in the presidential suite. Use the elevator._"

He hung up. Giving herself a modest pat on the back, Naomi dismounted the motorcycle and hurried across to the other side of the street.

She'd never been to the Omni Hotel before, and didn't even dare to do any research once she figured out the code, partly because she was afraid she'd got it wrong. Now that she was in the overly lavish lobby, an entirely new set of questions started to pop up. From the looks of it, this was definitely a four, if not five-star hotel. And he said he was in the presidential suite. The kind of person who could book that room on such short notice in Los Angeles without even so much as breaking a sweat…no wonder getting rid of electronic equipment for the simple sake of security came so naturally to him.

She entered the elevator and pushed the button for the corresponding floor, and her mind switched from wondering about L's finances to guessing his appearance. That was an even greater mystery…no, the greatest mystery of them all. It was nothing short of an honor to be allowed to even get a glimpse of the detective's face…a toe, even. Many only knew L by the Old English typeface letter glowing with indifference from a computer monitor. When people heard his voice, it was always garbled by state-of-the-art technology. He was literally nothing but an icon, the man behind the screen.

But…

"_Also, not only have we worked closely together already, but you are one of the very few to have seen me in person…_"

Her blood chilled. How many times now had she met someone, not knowing the reality of their identity? It _still _gave her the creeps whenever she reminisced and realized that she had constantly been within two feet of Beyond, but at what point did she come across the detective? Her memory rewound and fast forwarded, replaying multitudes of faces and names she'd met.

A bell dinged, signaling her arrival to the specified floor. Naomi shook her head and stepped out.

_I'll see him soon anyway_.

The short walk to the presidential suite felt like an eternity, the muted sounds leaking out from the various other rooms barely breaking the crushing silence outside. She looked at numerous door plates, steeling her nerves between glances. Finally, she reached the right door at the end of the hall.

…_You can do this, Naomi_, she encouraged herself. She couldn't remember another instant where a doorknob looked so frightening.

But the prospect of Beyond coming after her was much worse than any brass-plated doorknob could do to her.

She grabbed it, turned it, and stepped in.

(End Chapter 3)


	4. 2:11 AM

Title: Silent Consonant

By: Dr. Kim-chan

Author's Note: So I see I wasn't the only one who had trouble logging in for the past few days! Well, they put some new features on the account page (on mine, anyway), so that may be the reason. Anyway, I hope this chapter makes up for your headaches.

To answer any potential questions: yes, the Omni Hotel is real. I saw a picture of their presidential suite and knew it'd be perfect for L. And yes, I did look up the directions on Google Maps (although it was never clear exactly where Naomi lived within Los Angeles). I'm a nerd like that.

I'm also afraid I wasn't clear enough in the previous chapter, so let me give a better explanation. "Silent Consonant" is basically my interpretation of what would've happened if (1) Light hadn't found the Death Note, and (2) as a result, Beyond staying alive and executing a plan he might have carried out if not for Light killing him. Some of this also depends on my interpretation of what happened even before that, as you'll soon see. I've said it before and I'll say it again: fanart gives you great ideas for fics.

The obligatory thanks to all my nice readers and reviewers, and let's continue.

* * *

Naomi closed the door behind her softly, as if it was an afterthought, still staring straight ahead.

As hard as the reality hit her a few minutes ago, now she felt like a somnambulist compelled to trudge to a predetermined destination. She couldn't possibly be meeting L—_in person _(and, supposedly, for the second time)_—_right now, not after all these years…

"Through here, please."

Naomi jumped a little, then followed the source of the voice through the threshold separating the small foyer from the living room. It was a real voice, not garbled at all. It sounded a little deep, quite polite, a bit of a…was it a British accent?

_Probably a little older than me. Probably well-dressed_, Naomi evaluated mentally. _He _has_ to be if he can afford all this. Refined…eh, he's a little rude to be a gentleman. Definitely British, though. Either that or he's lived in England for a long time…_

Then the view in front of her shattered every single one of her preconceived notions.

The living room played host to a number of electronics, including a laptop, a microphone attached to various small consoles, and a portable printer/scanner/copier. Two porcelain bowls sat right next to the laptop: one brimming with cherries, another strictly reserved for discarded cherry pits and knotted stems. The first bowl was so full that when the cherries' owner stretched out a hand to fetch one from the pile, a couple of them bounced over the edge and rolled helplessly across the coffee table. One even dropped to the carpet.

But it wasn't the abundance of cherries that was the spectacle.

Two large, black eyes had been trying their best to slowly burn holes into her head, though for the past second the fallen cherry had managed to distract them. Under those piercing eyes were the dark bags of a chronic insomniac, the veritable bird's nest of dark hair sitting atop his head not helping his case. He was a bit on the slender side, but his baggy sweatshirt and jeans grossly overestimated the fact.

…He looked almost exactly like Beyond.

"So we finally meet…face-to-face, I mean."

Naomi said nothing, still glued to the doorway. The raven-haired young man raised a hidden eyebrow.

"I see. You still have reservations about my identity."

That was part of it, but in all honesty it was pure shock. Oddly enough, the bags under his eyes were the most understandable. Solving hundreds of complex mysteries for a living _had _to be tiring, but really, he couldn't even be bothered with wearing clothes that _fit_? And none of it explained why he and Beyond looked frighteningly identical. She'd believe that Beyond wanted to elope with her before she believed for one more second that this was L.

Then again, these blatant idiosyncrasies were exactly why it also wasn't too hard to believe that this _was _L. Anyone could send in a well-dressed man to fit the role of L, but one would have had to go through hell and back to find a character like this. And if this _was_ Beyond in disguise, he'd still have the scars from his suicide attempt—scars that no amount of makeup or surgery would have been able to hide.

While Naomi slowly processed all this, L took advantage of the awkward silence to pick up the cherry on the floor and put it in the bowl of pits and stems.

"If you're not talking because you don't believe I'm L, then it's rather clever. A shame you quit the FBI, though I suppose it benefited me in the long run."

Naomi relaxed her muscles. Yet another thing no one else but L would have known.

"Never mind. Now I _know_ you're L."

L murmured approval, then made a slight motion to her.

"We'd have a better rapport if you took a seat."

Blunt and to the point. This was L, all right. She took her hands out of the pockets of her jacket and sat down in an armchair.

"Now that we're confident in each other's identities, we can get to the matter at hand. One of the reasons you were unsure about me was because Beyond also exhibited some of the same idiosyncratic behaviors and physical characteristics I do, correct?"

Naomi's head perked up, which answered L's question without a word.

"I thought that peculiar too, when I saw him in the interrogation room."

"But you sounded like you knew him longer than that," Naomi protested. "You didn't know he looked and acted almost exactly like you?"

"I hardly knew Beyond personally, but we both shared the same purpose…"

Suddenly L looked up at Naomi with narrowed eyes.

"In my current situation, I'll need all the help I can get, and to understand that situation and everything else about the connection between me and Beyond, I am about to tell you personal details I usually wouldn't divulge to anyone else, but of course these are extenuating circumstances. This also means I'm placing a large amount of trust in you. That said, I have your word that whatever I tell you _must not leave this room_."

Naomi nodded earnestly, and L continued in his semi-polite tone.

"I'm working alone at the moment, something I'm not exactly used to. This was also a part of the challenge Beyond issued me, and I have to say, whatever he's planning, he has more motivation behind it than the murders here a while ago. Like me, he's childish and hates to lose."

"I don't know if children would kill in order to win," Naomi interrupted. "How can a person hate someone so much that they involve innocent people in their twisted plan?"

A tinge of anger veiled her voice, and typically L would have asked for her to keep her emotions in check at a time like this, but he let it pass.

Because, somewhere in the back of his mind, he had been asking himself that same question for years.

"A strange question coming from a former FBI agent, but a valid one nonetheless. I had no personal aspirations to be a detective. Not at first. At a young age, I had no family, no real purpose. A man whom I now refer to as Watari brought me to his orphanage, where I learned to apply and expand my intelligence and become a detective in order to better society. However, as the years passed, it became apparent that my life would be in danger, even with all the measures of precaution. So he began creating duplicates."

"Duplicates?"

"Others…orphans like me who had great potential. Beyond, or B, was one of the first. Before him, there was another replacement called 'A'. However, A couldn't endure the process, and he committed suicide."

A slight pain invaded Naomi's chest, a sensation similar to heartbreak. Was it that much of a burden to follow in the footsteps of L…to _be _L?

"As for B, he refused to accept that he could be nothing more than a mere copy of an original, and he resolved to defeat me by any means, even if it meant becoming a counterpart to the world's greatest detective—the world's greatest criminal."

He sighed. "But apparently that's not the only reason he harbors so much resentment towards me."

He picked up a piece of paper and handed it to Naomi. Along the edge of the top was a single sentence.

_12 and 13 make 25. One is missing. 12 knows why._

"He didn't actually send this to me. This he told me at the interrogation. The meaning—to me, anyway—is rather straightforward."

Though the conversation had fractured at the point between recounting his past and presenting evidence, Naomi instinctively knew she was supposed to connect the two. Also, she had the advantage of past experience. She knew Beyond had a strange obsession with the numbers four, nine, and thirteen. Together with the _wara ningyo _nailed to the walls of the crime scene, she'd assumed the killer used four and nine because they were unlucky numbers in Japanese culture. It was also no coincidence that the two numbers added up to thirteen.

But why thirteen?

Naomi placed one fingertip over a bit of space separating the '1' from the '3'. As she thought. 'Thirteen' could just as easily be the letter 'B' if combined.

So who was twelve?

She used her mind's eye to combine the '1' with the '2', but all she got was a weird shape…or was it…?

"It looks like an 'L', but…" her voice trailed off.

"It is," L assured her. "I know it's not a typical 'L', but remember that he's not referring to just any 'L'."

Naomi's face crumpled up, then she looked at L again, and then her face lit up. Not any normal L…so not the standard font.

She had to stop thinking in Times New Roman.

She instantly remembered the stylized 'L' glowing on her laptop the first time she became involved with the Los Angeles BB Murder Cases. Old English, if she wasn't mistaken. Comparing _that_ with the morphed 12, then yes, the shapes matched almost perfectly, right down to the funny-looking tail at the top of the vertical bar. She also considered something more obvious—that 'L' was the twelfth letter of the alphabet, but in this context it appeared to have no immediate significance.

"Okay. '12 and 13 make 25. One is missing. 12 knows why.' One missing from 25…26. Twenty-six…a set of twenty-six...the alphabet."

She stared at the bowl of cherries. "Beyond blames you for A's death?"

"Like I said, I hardly knew Beyond personally, but Beyond and A were together at the orphanage. I don't know if it's pure irrational emotion or he actually has evidence to support this, but at this point, the past isn't as important as what'll happen now."

"But anyone can turn resentment and their own broken logic against you if it's strong enough, irrational or not. You may not have killed A with your own hands, but, probably in Beyond's mind, you might as well have done it yourself…"

Naomi then bit her lip as she realized what she said.

"Sorry."

"Don't apologize. It was a very astute observation. Yes, emotion is a very powerful weapon, and there may be something deeper to this that I'm just not seeing right now..."

His sallow cheeks started bulging out slightly in random places, accompanied by odd sucking noises, and then he stuck his tongue out to present two clean seeds and a pair of perfectly tied cherry stems, both of which he promptly picked off his tongue. If Naomi hadn't been so disturbed by that little trick, she probably would have been impressed.

"But if _I_ become invested emotionally at this point, I'd only be making it easier for him," L finished saying.

Naomi glanced down at the piece of paper again, and then two more crucial questions popped up. One of them she never voiced, and in the future she would wonder if she was right for keeping it to herself—however, she had a feeling L would figure it out.

The other question she asked immediately.

"You said he first started sending you clues in prison, and you also said he's not after our lives either. If his only objective was to play this…this _game _with you, why'd he escape?"

His hand started to go for more cherries, but at the last minute L changed his mind and started chewing on his thumb.

"Yes, it would be unnecessary to attempt something as daring as a prison break…_if_ we assume the game itself is the desired end result. Given that he _did_ attempt it, however, and that he succeeded...what's the ultimate objective of a game?"

"To win."

"And what are the various ways one can win a game?"

Multitudes of board games invaded Naomi's mind.

"Um…to collect the most of something, to earn the most money, to reach the end of something without getting caught or trapped, capturing the other players' pieces, earning the most points—"

"There's another strategy as well."

Naomi leaned forward in her seat, ready for the answer.

"Letting the other player win first. That was how Beyond hoped to accomplish his aim the first time. By attempting to take his life—the ultimate loss—he would have won by eliminating the most important piece of evidence: the perpetrator. I also speculate he chose self-immolation as the method because he wanted to make sure he didn't leave behind any traceable forensic evidence."

He popped another cherry in his mouth. "But the rules have changed this time. He'll merely stand by, tell me his conditions, and watch me make my moves accordingly. At some point he'll take a more active role, but when, I'm not entirely sure."

"Like Dungeons and Dragons."

L gave Naomi a quizzical look, and she suddenly felt embarrassed, but that was the best analogy she could come up with. In D&D, winning was hardly ever the objective. The adventure itself was important, and the appointed game master controlled your path.

"Anyway, here's the clue that brought me to Los Angeles."

L handed her another piece of paper. This one read: _The scorpion scurries from under the bull's hoof to hide among the angels, and there he will find the bearer of the vase, the one who poured the water that extinguished the flame. When the scorpion's shadow is freed, the scorpion will also find him among the angels, or else he will never find the water he seeks._

"…What?" Naomi blurted out.

In response, L handed her yet another piece of paper, this one a complicated matrix of numbers.

"To put it simply, he's alluding to astrology. I am a Scorpio, Watari is a Taurus—the 'bull's hoof'—and you're an Aquarius, the 'bearer of the vase'. He further wanted to make that point by sending me a sort of verification code, which he based around Pythagorean numerology. When I solved it, I got all our names and birth dates."

Nothing else in the past day scared her more than that last sentence.

"How does he know my birthday?" Naomi whispered.

"He has his ways of obtaining information, I'm sure. I was just as surprised to see that he knew personal information about me." As if he knew exactly what she was thinking, L added, "If he'd wanted use this advantage to track you down, he'd have long since done it. For now, I'm his only concern. I'm even convinced that the last sentence was nothing more than a bluff. Ninety-four percent, actually."

Naomi looked at the sentence L specified and reread it. _When the scorpion's shadow is freed, the scorpion will meet him among the angels, or else he will never find the water he seeks._

Translation: _L, be in Los Angeles by the time I escape or Naomi Misora dies._

"Well, you're here now," she said, keeping her voice steady. "Now what?"

"We wait for the next clue. Also hidden in the numbers were specified times: 5:01 PM, 10:31 PM, and 2:11 AM. 5:01 PM referred to the scheduled takeoff for a flight to Los Angeles I was meant to take. 10:31 PM—"

"—was approximately the time he broke out of prison last night," Naomi finished.

"And 2:11 AM is when we should be receiving the next clue."

Naomi took out her cell phone and glanced at the digital readout. 2:09 AM.

That was pretty much all she had time to see before L plucked the phone out of her hands, holding the now-extended antenna up delicately between his thumb and index finger, and dropped it next to his bowl of cherries.

"Hey—"

L silenced her by turning slightly to dig in one of his pants pockets before turning back around with another cell phone.

"Another one of Beyond's rules is that, even though I'm supposed to be working alone, I can receive help when he allows it. When I discovered I was meant to contact you, I figured calling you would be the quickest way on such short notice, and I arranged to get you a new phone before I came to Los Angeles. This one has unique security features and a direct line to me, so tedious encryption and destruction will no longer be necessary. I already activated it and had your old account transferred. That'll spare you the trouble of explaining a sudden change in number to your fiancé."

"Thanks," Naomi muttered, slipping it into her pocket without turning it on.

"And I suppose I should say the same. Even if Beyond hadn't wanted me to get in touch with you, I probably would've done so anyway."

Naomi nodded humbly, as if she understood, and some of it she could grasp, but this meeting had only raised more questions than it answered. So Beyond wasn't after blood, but she still couldn't entirely discount revenge for the underlying reason behind this convoluted riddle. Again, this seemed to be all about L. But something felt wrong. The motive didn't look to be the usual fight for superiority.

Such a single-minded, yet brilliant mind…the playing field now leveled by L's current lack of associates…

Who would win this time?

An electronically jumbled bell dinged, and two pairs of eyes immediately snapped to the desktop.

An unmarked e-mail.

Nine seconds past 2:11 AM.

The security system popped up, asking L if he wanted to open e-mail from an unknown sender. He leaned forward to begin typing away, and the system tray vanished, replaced by the body of the e-mail.

_Can't you see, L? A was a victim. Listen closely to both sides. Through the archways and across a sea of earth sits the paper church that holds your redemption._

L's eyes narrowed, his teeth ravaging the nail of his thumb again.

"Redemption?" he muttered.

"I wonder who needs it more…" Naomi grumbled.

(End Chapter 4)


	5. Forbidden Fruit, Paper Churches

Title: Silent Consonant

By: Dr. Kim-chan

Author's Note: Before you read, this is the _last_ time we're going back in time, I swear! (It won't even take up the whole chapter.) After this, it gradually builds back up to the time frame of the first chapter, and back to Light. However, you DO get the solution to last chapter's clue. Cookies to anyone who can tell me how the puzzle and the solution correlate, double cookies to anyone who knows the significance of the times listed, and triple cookies to anyone who can tell me why I chose this prison in particular to put Beyond in.

Thanks for reading and reviewing, everyone! I hope you keep doing it!

* * *

The chatter of college students walking to and from classes was uncharacteristically muted, but then again, L had never spent much time—if any—in a formal educational facility. It just seemed to him that the atmosphere should have been more cheerful. After all, the calendar was sitting on the edge of October, about to turn to November, and though Southern California climate provided nothing to fit the stereotypical image of late autumn, students were preparing themselves for the upcoming extended periods of vacations—welcome breaks from weeks of memorization, tests, and lengthy lectures.

It all felt so surreal: among a peer group not much younger than him, he'd handled stresses that no one else here, not even medical students, could imagine.

Behind him, Naomi walked at a brisk pace. With her hands stuffed into the pockets of her leather jacket and shifty eyes, she still looked all the more like the FBI agent she used to be. In fact, she looked _too _conspicuous, but he was one to talk.

As they traversed the campus searching for the clue Beyond listed in his e-mail, L withdrew into his mind, exploring the memory that held the reason why he was here in the first place…

* * *

_It was often said—or rather, often miscalculated—that for every penitentiary, there was at least one inmate occupying it that L was responsible for helping bring to justice. Of course, that was nothing more than myth, but the number of criminals he'd hunted over the years was still impressive. However, it never really brought L any sense of pride or accomplishment. Just another case solved, he thought, and onto the next one._

_But this time was different._

_For one, it was rare that he got involved in the conviction process other than presenting the crucial evidence he'd collected during the investigation. Nevertheless, he was here, stalking the corridors of the California State Prison in Corcoran. Accompanying him were the warden and Watari, the latter of whom was clad in his omnipresent trench and fedora. Though it looked like a typical stroll, it was a premeditated choreography of stringent security measures. Those in charge of surveillance had been warned to briefly alter the angles of the cameras in the corridors L was expected to pass through, and even then, the warden and Watari were positioned in such a way that even if the cameras caught L's face by accident, it would have been next to impossible to get a clear picture of his face._

_After a few tense minutes, the trio reached their destination: a cramped room with a rather archaic closed-circuit surveillance system. The camera's video feed could be viewed in another nearby room, just in case trouble arose. L didn't believe the person he was visiting would do anything drastic—a 67 percent chance, in fact, but this still left a troubling thirty-three percent. Those here in charge of him must have come to the same conclusion, since they had decided to place him in the Protective Housing Unit._

_Waiting beside the door were two more guards, the ones responsible for escorting the prisoner L wanted to see._

"_Is he secured?" the warden asked._

"_Yes, sir."_

"_Good. Stay on guard until he's done interviewing the detainee."_

_As one of the guards moved to open the door, Watari threw L one last apprehensive glance, but the young detective's face stayed passive, his lowered brows the only indication of the fierce determination he often so expertly hid. Though Watari was usually privy to L's innermost feelings, there were moments where even he had no idea how L's mind worked. Certainly he couldn't figure out why L wanted to come face-to-face with the one person who sought out his destruction more than anyone else, but before he even knew what was going on, L had asked to make all the necessary arrangements._

_Well, L's reasoning hadn't failed him thus far, and even if Watari had protested, once L had a mind to do something, he would go through anything and anyone to satisfy his wishes._

_Leaving him to it, Watari accompanied the warden to the observation room, and L entered the main room, the door closing shut behind him._

_The silence was intolerably tense, but L appeared to take no notice as he softly chewed his thumb, his stare fixed on the other occupant as he carefully positioned himself on a vacant chair._

_Across from him, in an unflattering powder blue jumpsuit, sat Beyond Birthday._

_L had only met him once—a brief visit when Beyond first arrived at Wammy's House. He hadn't talked much, but exhibited both high intelligence, and along with A he represented the success of the name of 'L' even into the undetermined future._

_But seeing Beyond here drove the terrible reality home._

_The medical care he received right after Naomi's arrest, followed by successive visits to the prison's acute care hospital, had soothed his burn injuries, but not entirely. White gauze bandages held together charred and grafted skin alike. Together with his deadened stare, Beyond looked like his own corpse._

_The detective and his former protégé locked eyes, giving the silence another minute to stretch so far that it frayed at the edges._

_Then Beyond chuckled._

"_You're not one to return to your spoils and gloat over them," he said. "I've already given my testimony to the authorities, and no doubt your 'brilliance' has already allowed you to deduce how and why I did what I did. I have nothing else to do but to stay here and rot, so why are you here?"_

_L took his thumb out of his mouth and gave the answer he and Watari were waiting for._

"_If I had to say, then I guess out of curiosity."_

"_Curiosity leads to dangerous things. Of course, that depends on what you want me to tell you. Do you want me to tell you what you already know, what you want to hear? In that case, I admit defeat. I knew Misora was capable of standing in for you, but I didn't know she'd catch on to me _that _fast, and because of your wise choice, I lost."_

_His head made one slow rotation atop his neck, and slowly his scowl transformed into a small yet malevolent smile._

"_But if you're here to discover something new, then you'll get no help from me. I figured it out by myself long ago. So did A. You, on the other hand—even if I spoon-fed you the answer, you'd just treat it as another bit of data and continue to function like the automaton you are."_

"_Figured out what?"_

_L's sudden, persistent question threw Beyond off-guard for a few seconds, but then the bandaged young man launched into a short peal of laughter._

"_Well, if anyone's curiosity is being satisfied, it's mine. So this is the true face of L? Thoughtlessly chasing after challenges and riddles, searching for truth…even when you yourself are a lie."_

_L's eyes narrowed. He knew he was getting hopelessly caught in a circuitous argument, but Beyond wasn't a garden-variety madman…no, maybe it was even too harsh to label him a madman._

"_Are you asking just because you truly want to know or because you simply want to add to your repertoire of knowledge?" Beyond continued. "Because this isn't knowledge, L. It's wisdom, and once you take the bite from the apple, you take full responsibility for being thrown out of Eden."_

"…_I accept."_

_Beyond cocked his one functional eyebrow, but the smirk stayed on his face._

"_Fine." He stared up at the ceiling. "I just said I admitted defeat, but I meant in this case only. Now that I reflect on the murders, in the grand scheme of things they were merely a test of ego and fate. The results weren't really what I'd anticipated, but it all conspired to give me this opportunity to talk to you. Convenient, don't you think?"_

"_Are you talking about fatalism?" L asked._

"_Do you believe in fate?"_

"_I believe there's some things that no one is meant to know. Whether I actually believe in a divine power interfering with our lives or not…I don't know."_

"_But you do believe people should take responsibility for their actions."_

"_Yes," L said, without hesitating. "Everyone has free will to some extent. Even most major world religions would agree. Even if our fates are determined beforehand, we still have the option of changing it."_

"_And in that respect, you've lost."_

_L blinked, for once stunned by an unforeseeable outcome._

"_I may be in prison, but I'm in prison by _choice_," Beyond explained. "I had the luxury of free will; I didn't even have to come to L.A. and engage you in battle, but another choice had been presented to me years ago."_

"_Another choice?"_

"_A's death. He killed himself because he had no choices. And given the choice between carrying such an indignity with me for the rest of my life and exposing it at the cost of my own destruction…well, I've never been one to be submissive."_

_Beyond turned his head again, his eyes now staring straight into L's face._

"_I failed, and I was prepared to sit here and continue keeping that secret with me. But here you are…out of your own free will. And that changes fate…yours and mine. I guess you're not as hopeless as I thought."_

_Beyond paused, a rare expression of remorse overtaking his face, and he glanced up at the ceiling again._

"'_You seek for knowledge and wisdom, as I once did, and I ardently hope that the gratification of your wishes may not be a serpent to sting you, as mine has been.'"_

"Frankenstein_, by Mary Shelley," L noted._

"_Yes."_

_A long pause._

"_I take it Watari's with you," Beyond said._

"_Yes."_

"…_Then that changes things."_

"_So you're not going to tell me?"_

"_I'll tell you, but not now. When the time's right. It'll give us something to look forward to for the next few years."_

_Both seemed to understand that this marked the end of the conversation, and L gave the signal to the camera that he was ready to leave. A few minutes later the door opened, and slowly L unfolded his legs and shuffled over to the threshold as the guards entered to take Beyond back to the Protective Housing Unit._

"_One more thing."_

_Everyone paused as Beyond called out to L, who turned around._

"_Twelve and thirteen make 25. One is missing. Twelve knows why."_

_For a split second, confusion and agitation swept over everyone like an oncoming wave, then L's mouth twitched, Beyond flashed him another evil grin, and each group went their separate ways._

* * *

Nothing happened after that for over three years, and L had begun to think the interrogation had been nothing more than a waste of time, as he first suspected it would.

Then, while he and Watari were handling a case in France, L found a small hole in his computer database. A minor hack that most people competent in programming and technology could pull off, but a brilliant hack nonetheless, considering who he was hacking. All that the person responsible left behind were a couple of text files, put in a location where L would have found them sooner or later anyway. Only until then did L take Beyond's words seriously.

His first instinct was to consult Watari, but then he remembered how delicately Beyond minced his words when the older man came up in their conversation. His depreciating comments, plus the solution to the clue that L figured out soon after he received it, seemed to suggest that L was meant to take on this challenge alone. At the very least, he wanted Watari to take no part in it whatsoever. Also, if Beyond really did mean that he was going to break out of prison in order to resume the game, it would only complicate things, and then L really would lose.

But this proved to be tricky in itself. Some things Watari gladly gave him free rein on, but to go out alone with minimal protection against a criminal he not only helped convict but was on equal intellectual standing…

It had simply meant that L would have to give Watari the slip and take himself off the radar for a while. But Watari was smart himself, and while L went about preparing for Beyond's imminent escape, he laid low and waited for the prime opportunity.

Finally it arrived. A minor matter came up in England that L was able to easily convince Watari to go take care of. After that he took the 5:01 PM flight to Los Angeles, the first thing on his agenda being to contact Naomi Misora. Strangely enough, for preparing so thoroughly, L didn't think much of the potential aftermath. He simply trusted Watari not to blow the situation out of proportion.

What did Beyond know that he didn't? And why did he have to figure it out alone?

"Ryuuzaki."

L turned around, responding to Naomi's call. He'd told her earlier this morning to refer to him as 'Ryuuzaki' in public, and it'd been at that moment when Naomi remembered where she'd seen L before—which then launched into a short lecture about why _not_ to ambush people, especially FBI agents, without warning in public.

"Yes?"

"Look."

She led him to the partially open, ornate entryway of a building called Royce Hall, one of many buildings on the campus of UCLA. L gaped at the architecture with interest, and then he looked through the row of arches facing north. They framed a view of Powell Library, its entrance precluded by a wide swath of tiles between two grassy fields.

"'Through the archways and across the sea of earth sits the paper church that holds your redemption.' Sea of earth…tiles. The paper church…a library. Hm."

Naomi glanced at one of the college's pamphlets she'd decided to pick up to help them with Beyond's clue.

"And apparently it was modeled after the Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio in—"

Her sentence ended abruptly, and when L turned around to see what had stopped her, a strangely pale Naomi thrust the pamphlet in his direction, pointing to one of the glossy pages. Above a paragraph describing Powell Library, written hastily in a red-ink pen, were the words: "_You still have a ways to go until you graduate, so go to where you can study at leisure. I've provided the bull's bible._"

It couldn't have been too long since Beyond wrote it; he may've been a master of planning, but even L and Naomi were dubious of the possibility that he would've known so far in advance exactly which pamphlet she would pick up.

Which meant two things: he was already in Los Angeles, and he'd been at UCLA recently…or still was.

"The best thing we can do is just play along. I know it's hard to believe, but Beyond isn't naturally violent. At this point he's simply satisfied with watching us."

Naomi nodded, regaining her composure, and they made their way inside the library.

* * *

The splendor of the main reading room matched the exterior of the library. Vaulted windows allowed the gray light of the cloudy autumn day to pour through the room. The scent of aging paper, leathery covers, and dust filled the air, passing in and out of the noses of students busying themselves with research and lengthy homework assignments. It provided a rather calm atmosphere for L and Naomi as they scoured shelves, desks, and the tops of large filing cabinets, looking for "the bull's bible".

As cryptic as the clue sounded, it narrowed things down significantly. If Beyond was referring back to his previous puzzle, then 'the bull' must have meant the man L called Watari. But since L never told her his real name, she knew L would find it first. In the meantime, she would keep her eye out for anything out of the ordinary…or maybe not.

_It's not what's already here_, she mentally paraphrased Beyond's words when they were investigating the crime scenes. _It's what _not_ here._

"Or not where it should be…" she muttered to herself.

"Hm?"

She looked up and nearly gasped as she realized she'd almost bumped heads with L. His quizzical gaze, coupled with the immature thumb lodged in his mouth, made him look so innocent…almost comical, actually.

"I was just remembering what Beyond told me. He said not to focus on what's there, but what's not there, or what shouldn't be. If he's going back to his old methods, then we should be looking at what _shouldn't _be here. But what _don't _libraries carry?"

"Or what this specific library doesn't carry, anyway," L said. "He specifically said a 'bible', so we still have to assume he's talking about some type of media or record. If I recall, this is an undergraduate library that covers only basic resources. Then what can't you get here? Documents that would usually be reserved for special archives, items borrowed from other libraries…"

Naomi nodded, and they split up again, invigorated by a new plan.

Not less than four minutes later, Naomi reached the far end of the reading room, arriving at an enclave of vacant, tiny sofas surrounding a low table. Sighing, she took a seat and stared blankly at a pile of books left behind by prior students.

_Wait. But L said last night that the rules have changed, so maybe he's not using the same methods he did last time. Maybe I'm trying too hard…_

Naomi then sat up.

…_so go to where you can study at leisure…_

Maybe that was why they weren't finding anything.

She eyed the pile of books in front of her, leaned over, and began sorting through them. Across the room, L noticed the flurry of activity and shambled over.

"Come up with anything?"

"Well, I also remembered that he said we'll find what we're looking for if we 'study at leisure'. If you need to look for something in a library, you'd have to look hard for it, but maybe that's just it. Maybe we don't _have _to look for it."

"But you're looking for it now."

"But I'm not really expecting to find anything. To be honest, I just flipped through all these on a whim—"

Her sentence was cut off when L leaned over her shoulder without warning and picked up a tan-colored, hardcover book with his thumb and forefinger. Another book exactly identical to it—presumably the second volume—still sat on the table. Surprised, Naomi leaned back to read the gold-stamped letters displayed across the top:

"_The Evolving Elite, His Role in a Postindustrial Society, and Society's Role in the Elite's Evolution_"

Naomi then followed L's concerned gaze down to the bottom edge of the cover, where, in smaller print, it displayed the author's name.

_Quillish Wammy._

(End Chapter 5)


	6. Elites and Advocates

Title: Silent Consonant

By: Dr. Kim-chan

Author's Note: I'm not sure how, but I seem to have gotten myself confused, so just so we're all on the same page, let's recap one last time.

Chapter One started with Light finding out that L's missing. Chapter Two took place a week or so before that, when Interpol decided to get involved. Chapters Three and Four took place a few months before the Interpol meeting, when L returned to L.A., Beyond broke out of prison, and Naomi got involved. Then for a majority of Chapter Five, we flashbacked to just after the Los Angeles BB Murder Cases and saw why L went "missing" in the first place.

Now, unless it's a brief and/or important flashback, _no more time-traveling._ Just sit back while Beyond tortures L with seemingly random information, and we'll work our way back to Light. So read and review, my lovelies!

* * *

L's eyes scanned the last few paragraphs of the second volume as he typed furiously. When he was finished, Naomi leaned forward to pick up the book and leaf through it curiously for the umpteenth time.

Almost a week had passed since their visit to UCLA. Another message had been hidden within the pages of one of the two books they found, this one giving L permission to pore over the books as long as he needed to, since they had been checked out in the name of a student named Rue Ryuuzaki.

Naomi's instincts had been right in another aspect, as well. The two books turned out to be a published thesis requested from the University of Cambridge in England, and there were two things that didn't add up about where they'd been found. Powell Library didn't have an interlibrary loan service center, and if someone needed any sort of information pertaining to sociology, they would've went to the Charles E. Young Research Library, a resource strictly reserved for graduate students and college faculty.

This also meant that the phrase "_You still have a ways to go until you graduate…_" could have held a double meaning. Beyond probably—no, _likely_—misplaced the books in the undergraduate library on purpose, signifying that L wasn't quite ready to handle whatever Beyond still had in store for him.

A boast, an insult, or just cold truth...L couldn't decide.

For now, his only concern was figuring out what Beyond wanted him to infer from this. It certainly was a rather unnatural experience: despite Watari knowing virtually all there was to know about L, the young detective knew next to nothing about Watari's personal life or his past. It had seemed that all there was to know was that he was a prolific inventor and philanthropist, but the connection between his past and present had long been severed.

Naomi closed the book and set it back on the table, sighing. She'd read some rather lengthy and verbose technical reports in her career, but this thesis belonged to an entirely different realm. L hadn't been very communicative in order to explain anything to her, either, but that was partly because he'd been intensely analyzing the text in a number of different ways, including outright word-for-word copying of certain sections. Also, there hadn't been much else that Naomi could do, and for the majority of this week she'd been spending time both alone and with Raye, their visit to Japan drawing closer and closer. She almost felt guilty: he was never the wiser, as work kept him busy most of the time.

But, she rationalized, she was essentially working to keep both him and L safe.

The typing stopped, and Naomi glanced at L with anticipation.

"I didn't know Watari had such an interest in this field. I admire the thought he put into his theories…"

L reached over for his cup of tea, which elicited memories of the dangerously saccharine slag Beyond once gave her, and judging from the amount of sugar cubes he put in his cup, L's tasted more or less the same. Unlike Beyond, however, L was courteous enough to let Naomi decide what amount was safe for her.

"In the thesis, he supports what's called the 'social cycle theory'—that human history occurs in an inherent pattern of repeating trends. It's usually called the opponent of social evolutionism, in which society is gradually evolving towards an ultimate aim. But Watari argues that social cycles occur because society _is_ trying to make progress. Specifically he suggests that various cultures have attempted to produce an elite—either a group or an individual—qualified to carry the rest of society into an idyllic postindustrial era. When they fail or die, revolutions occur, typically in the hope of creating better elites than the previous ones. There's been several times when the masses have tried to govern themselves, but eventually they place the responsibility back onto a chosen few. He also points out that the elite doesn't necessarily have to have a political agenda. They can be religious leaders, intellectuals, military officials…"

L paused briefly to take a sip of his tea before continuing.

"But the point of his argument is that while we've been making definite strides, there's a few inherent faults in the process."

"Which are?"

The detective stared blankly into his teacup.

"Since society is participating in this evolutionary process subconsciously, it's not able to take full stock of what works and what doesn't. History's been recorded, studied, and compared, but we're still stuck, so to speak. Cultural boundaries are a problem, as well. Society may try again and again, but unless no one takes an active role to solve these limitations, it'll never reach our ideals."

"So he thinks the cycle won't end?"

"No. In fact, he poses an interesting solution. Part of it is looking at the aspects of society that are universal and which would have the greatest ripple effect on all the other aspects of life, and Watari thinks one of them is law. Everyone agrees that breaking laws is a punishable offense, and though there may be discrepancies about what's ethical, everyone knows on some level what right and wrong is. The best examples are organizations such as Interpol, which is a type of elite group in itself, but this alone doesn't solve the problem completely."

"And what will?"

L picked up his dessert spoon and began stirring.

"Since the key issue is society's passive role, he says a possible method for overcoming the problem is to consciously invent or breed a leader with all the intelligence, influence, and universal appeal needed to break the cycle. The rest of the thesis is simply a list of the necessary requirements of the ideal leader and a speculative timeline. For instance, to address the problem of power imbalance, he believes the leader should be a single person as opposed to a group, shouldn't be too prolific, should openly interfere only when necessary, and should protect himself from the inevitable intransigents."

The dark-haired young man started chewing one of his nails yet again. What did Beyond want him to take from this thesis? What did he want him to figure out?

…_This isn't knowledge, L. This is wisdom, and once you take the bite from the apple, you take full responsibility for being thrown out of Eden…_

"Ryuuzaki—"

"We're by ourselves now. You can call me 'L' if you wish."

"Oh. Then, L…the requirements of this ideal leader…they sound just like you."

The response Naomi received was startling. He said nothing, but his eyes narrowed significantly. However, it didn't seem like a glare of any sort.

It almost looked _worried_.

"Think about it," she persisted. "A single, secretive person with a lot of influence in the realm of crime prevention, a need to protect his identity, only interferes with everyone's affairs when they feel it's necessary…"

Something—guilt, sadness, fear, a baffling combination of all of the above—desperately yanked at her tongue, trying to prevent her from saying what she was about to say next. But stronger feelings couldn't let her hold it back, and instinct told her that, on one level or another, L already knew what she was thinking.

"Do you think Beyond's trying to tell you…that you're the constructed ideal elite Watari hypothesized about?"

"…It's a possibility."

Naomi raised an eyebrow. L usually wasn't so evasive when it came to giving his opinion.

Wanting a better response, she pushed the question further.

"That first night we met here, when you told me about Beyond, A, and that orphanage…and now this thesis…it can't just be coincidence. Then does that also mean A and Beyond…were just failed experiments?"

If there ever was a moment when even a vase crashing loudly on linoleum would have soothed the agonizing silence, this was it.

"Another possibility," L finally said, in a very deliberate tone. He crawled out of his unique sitting position and walked over to a window half-covered by heavy red curtains. Naomi watched him carefully, not sure what to make of the subtle body language and loaded answers L was giving her. Either it meant he was unsure of this conclusion himself—rare for a super-sleuth of his caliber, she thought—or there was something about the prospect that, like her, he didn't like.

"A big part of the reason I chose you to help me the first time was because it was convenient that you were off-duty, but I see you take what you learn and quickly put two and two together, and when you get the answer you want, you hardly ever back down."

He pushed a curtain aside. "I think that's why Beyond chose you as well. Just as you were my substitute in the Wara Ningyo Murders, now you're acting as Beyond's advocate."

The sentence stung like an insult, and though Naomi knew better, she fired back.

"Like I'd ever speak for that maniac!"

"I never said you were doing it willingly, but that's the role you were given. To be honest, if this is the best Beyond can do, then I'm not too troubled…the clues, I mean, not you."

He released the curtain and shuffled into the kitchen. Sounds of a refrigerator opening and dishes rattling filled the hotel room for a few seconds, and then L came back with two slices of frosted cake decorated ornately with squares of fruit, handing one dish to Naomi.

"I can't argue against what Beyond's come up with, but even with this thesis none of the evidence is conclusive. Also, some things don't match up."

L coated a piece of kiwi in frosting and ate it with earnest.

"Let's say that I am the ideal elite. Why continue to make more if I'm the one to bring society to its sought-after conclusion?"

Naomi was completely stumped. L could have answered that question himself; why was he asking her?

A few seconds later, however, she understood what was going on.

Like L said, willing or not, she was now Beyond's advocate.

"The thesis mentioned that revolutions happen when the elite dies. If someone wanted to break the social cycle, they'd need to keep the elite or his legacy alive one way or another, otherwise history will just keep repeating itself."

"And there's the pitfall," L mumbled, a bit of irritation in his voice. "Yes, the first thing you'd want is to make sure it lasts as long as possible, and making copycats is one way of doing it, but you could just as easily take every step to ensure that the leader makes sure the peace is made permanent the first time around. The thesis also says that while the leader plays a major part, the secondary goal is for society to come to the point where it doesn't even need the elite."

"Maybe it's impossible."

"Maybe it is."

L paused again, this time to spit out a few seeds.

"There's something I haven't told you yet that would explain the main reason why I'm not taking Beyond seriously, but I'm hoping that you—as Beyond's advocate—can figure it out first."

"I'm ready," Naomi immediately responded, taking it for the challenge it was.

"The first time we met here, I told you the rules have changed. Being involved with both the Los Angeles BB Murder Cases and what's happening now, what do you think is the biggest difference between the two?"

Naomi bowed her head, a gesture of deep contemplation. She knew Beyond's effort this time around varied significantly from the Wara Ningyo Murders, but now that the question had been given to her in black and white, what _were _the differences?

The most glaring difference, of course, was that Beyond wasn't taking other people's lives. Then there were the clues he was leaving behind. While still cryptic, he was sending them directly to L as opposed to hiding them in strange places. Another one of the differences Naomi noticed for herself the first time they met at the Omni Hotel. Beyond made the effort to break out of prison, similar to when he openly introduced himself as Rue Ryuuzaki, but…what did L say?

_He'll merely stand by, tell me the rules, and watch me make my moves accordingly…_

He didn't "stand by" during the Wara Ningyo Murders, and yet his ultimate aim had been to not get caught. This time, though it seemed Beyond hoped to play a bigger part sooner or later, he was lying in wait, not caring if he was caught or not.

Then she remembered something else L said. Beyond's preferred method was to win by losing, and though he didn't seem to plan on dying any time soon, he was going to let L solve the mystery and "win". But if Beyond lost again, what was the point?

Unless…

"After he was arrested, he acknowledged that he could never be better than you, so he wants to prove that you're not better than him, either…or maybe worse."

For the first time in weeks, a small smile sprouted on L's face.

"I know it doesn't sound like much of a compliment, but Beyond made a good choice."

"One thing, though," Naomi interrupted. "What does A's suicide have to do with this?"

"When I visited Beyond in prison, he told me that the main difference between us was free will. He said he didn't have to come to Los Angeles in the first place, but after A's death, he took the choice of challenging me head-on. He said there was an injustice I was unknowingly taking part in, and that I had to be made aware of it—"

"I get it," Naomi interrupted. "When he was caught, he figured that even though he lost and is—was—in prison, he still had control over his life. Meanwhile you're out here still solving mysteries, but to Beyond, you have less freedom than he does."

"And I did admit to him that I value my free will, so if anything he wants me to see that I never had any in the first place…"

Naomi's eyes flashed.

"Then this isn't about winning and losing at all. He wanted you to feel what A felt, what he felt."

"That doesn't make sense, either," L said. "For two reasons. Most importantly, one has to be open to all possibilities…at least until concrete evidence proves otherwise. I said I valued my free will, but I also said fate could play a part in our lives as well. Who's to say I wasn't _destined _to play the role of ideal leader? And who's to say I'm unhappy? Even if I wasn't voluntarily given the role, I'm still able to use my talents for the greater good."

"But you just said you believe people should have a choice in what to do with their lives," Naomi argued.

"Yes, but the one thing we can't do is change our past."

"…What about the future?"

L's head perked up, a chunk of strawberry caught in the grip of his teeth. He hurriedly swallowed and stuck his fork in the cake itself.

"That we can do, but if it doesn't lead us towards ruin, why change it?"

* * *

Naomi parked her motorcycle, tucked her helmet under her arm, and took out her apartment key, walking towards the front door of the apartment complex, her mind still reeling from the heavy discussion with L. It had certainly made her put her own life into perspective.

So Beyond's goal was to make L doubt himself, for L to devalue himself. But it didn't seem to have worked. If anything, it only let L reaffirm his life's purpose. That was certainly more than she could say for herself. Did everything that happened in her own life up to this point preemptively lead her to quit the FBI and get engaged to Raye, or did she make those decisions on her own?

The heavy echoes of her boots on the staircase sounded so loud, but it was too late in the evening for anyone to complain. Raye himself was working overtime again, so straight to bed for her.

As she reached the apartment door and put the key in the hole, the faint smell of coffee hit her nose. Naomi sniffed the air, then the doorjamb, and discovered that it was coming from the apartment. So Raye was here, after all. She sighed heavily, not expecting this in the least. Usually Raye was so certain about the hours he planned to work, and he definitely would have called first.

Ready to give a halfhearted explanation, Naomi opened the door and walked through the lobby into the cozy living room.

And dropped her helmet.

A dark-haired young man with deeply sunken bags under his eyes sat crouched in the small loveseat, his hands cradling a lukewarm cup of coffee. His feet were bare, a pair of worn tennis shoes placed neatly beside him on the floor.

L?

No, it couldn't be…he would've just called…

And L didn't have burns covering half his face.

The young man shot her a serpentine grin.

"It's been a while, Misora."

(End Chapter Six)


	7. Goodbye, LA

Title: Silent Consonant

By: Dr. Kim-chan

Author's Note: Yeah, this chapter's a little short compared to the ones I've written thus far, but if anything else it's mainly meant to be an interlude to the next part of this story. And don't worry; I didn't forget about Interpol. I won't give anything away, but there was more to L being missing at that point in time than it seems, and I want you to understand why before we return to that matter.

That said, there's only one question left to answer: Why the heck is Beyond in Naomi's apartment?

* * *

"How the hell did you get in here?"

Beyond didn't answer immediately, first taking another sip of coffee.

"As the person who figured out my locked room trick, that question seems a bit pointless, doesn't it? Besides, there's no reason to be scared of me. I didn't escape to get revenge. Those murders were simply a test for L, and like any test, you either pass or you fail. Nothing to get upset over."

He glanced over in the direction of the kitchen. "I made a fresh pot of coffee. I didn't pour you a cup, though. I remembered you didn't like the amount of sugar I put in it, though I have no idea why. Tastes delicious to me."

Naomi didn't move once, still shocked by the bizarre circumstances, and now even more shocked by the incongruousness of Beyond's hospitality.

"No? Fine," Beyond said, shrugging. "I planned for this visit to be quick, anyway."

He put the mug—one of Raye's favorites—down on the table.

"I see you found Watari's thesis. I knew it wouldn't take either of you very long. I admit, when I read it at first I couldn't deny his ingenuity. Making a perfect leader to improve society, to change its fate…certainly an optimistic view, but committing a sin for the sake of salvation gets you nothing—"

"L isn't buying it."

Naomi finally called up the courage to reply with a terse statement on behalf of L, mainly to break herself out of her own trance. Beyond narrowed his eyes, his exposed burn scars only adding to the frightening effect. For being a serial killer, rarely had Naomi seen Beyond angry.

"What do you mean?" he asked coolly.

"He understands what you're trying to tell him, but—"

"And what does he think I'm trying to tell him?"

"He's guessing you wanted to show him he's the subject of Watari's thesis, that he was no more than a tested hypothesis. You wanted him to see he had no free will all along, and you wanted him to understand why A killed himself."

"…Go on."

"But there's something L says you didn't consider. Why is Watari continuing his project if the ultimate goal is for society to no longer depend on a succession of perfect leaders? He also said you didn't take destiny into account…that it's just as likely he may have been destined to be the perfect leader, and he's not necessarily unhappy about having his life chosen for him, either. And he said there's no point in reflecting on the past, or changing your future, if the path doesn't lead to ruin."

Beyond picked up a spoon, ladled some of his coffee, and poured it into the cup again. Upon closer inspection, Naomi saw that, yet again, he'd put so much sugar in it, the liquid turned into a grainy syrup.

"The evidence isn't conclusive because it's not all the evidence I have," he explained. "To feel what A and I felt, yes, I did want him to know that, and I did want him to realize the futility of his life, but I knew the thesis alone wouldn't be enough. You don't have much in the way of options when you're an orphan. You want to have _some_ meaning in your life. Even being a test subject is better than nothing."

He dropped the spoon. "But what's worse is being thrown away a second time."

Naomi furrowed her brow in confusion as Beyond stood up (but not fully, retaining the signature crouched stance of his rival) and began slipping on his shoes.

"In any case, your part's over. You're going to Japan next week, right?"

Naomi said nothing, but she didn't have to. It was a simple courtesy gesture.

"The next piece of the puzzle is somewhere else in the world, so L and I won't be here for much longer either. So, this is goodbye, from both of us."

His smile turned sad, and he walked past her, brushing up against her slightly as he squeezed through the threshold. But before he got to the door, he stopped.

"Anywhere in the world, and I choose Los Angeles. Do you know why?"

Naomi turned her head, her first movement since she saw the former serial killer in her living room.

"I guess it had to do with the initials of the city. L and A."

Beyond chuckled.

"A populous city—populous just like any other city—but its name did strike a chord with me, and now that they've formally titled my murders the Los Angeles BB Murder Cases, the irony's even stronger. And its nickname, the 'City of Angels'…some religions claim that suicide is grounds for immediate damnation, but here, I'd hoped to give A redemption. Thanks to you, maybe I still can. Maybe there's something to be said for fate after all."

He opened the door, but then stopped one more time.

"Oh, and it should be obvious, but you don't have the option of telling the police about this little meeting. This game will end on my terms."

The door closed, and not until a full minute later did Naomi finally regulate her breathing. Her legs still a little wobbly from the shock, she eventually found her way to the couch. Her mind ran at a million miles an hour. It went against all she stood for to let an escaped convict go free, but the consequences were too great, and strangely enough, she knew L wouldn't have wanted her to turn Beyond in either. For all she knew, he probably planned on doing so after this feud between them got settled once and for all…

Her head flew out of her hands, hair flying behind her shoulders.

L.

She had to call him.

She reached into her pants pocket…and came up with nothing.

Confused, she stood up, checking all of her pockets. She definitely remembered putting the cell phone L gave her in her right pants pockets before she left, and hardly anything escaped from it whenever she rode on her motorcycle, even at high speeds…

She looked up at the threshold.

Did he…?

* * *

_Ring. Ring. Ring…_

L looked up from his laptop monitor, his head twisting around briefly before he reached down into his jeans pocket, and pulled out his cell phone.

Naomi. But why would she be calling at this hour?

Suspecting an emergency, he pushed the button to answer.

"Hello?"

"_Hello, L._"

Okay, this _definitely _wasn't Naomi. L's eyes narrowed.

"Who is this?"

"_We haven't been apart _that _long, L. You don't remember your former protégé?_"

L's eyes narrowed even further.

"How'd you get Misora's phone?"

"_Does it really matter? As of tonight, the scorpion no longer has any need for the bearer of the vase. She told me a few interesting things, though, one of them being your amazing lack of foresight. Don't think the thesis was the best I could do. This has nothing to do with what you are now. It's about what you'll become._"

"You think I'll end up like you and A?"

Harsh laughter erupted from the earpiece.

"_If you're lucky._"

"Where's Misora?"

"_She's at her apartment. You can call her home number if you really want to make sure, but give me a little credit. She played her role perfectly, and as long as she doesn't blow the whistle on me, she gets the privilege of living her life with her fiancé._"

L made an inaudible sigh through his nostrils.

"_Anyway, you're still unconvinced, which is good because the game's barely started. Expect your next clue via e-mail in a couple of hours._"

A series of beeps punctuated the end of Beyond's last sentence, meaning that he'd hung up. L flipped his phone closed and slipped it back into the pocket of his jeans, unsure about whether to be worried or not. Given that Beyond had access to the right technology (and considering everything thus far, he probably did), he could use the cell phone to get unlimited access to L in other ways. On the other hand, Beyond hadn't done anything outrageous yet. As L himself said, all Beyond wanted at this point was to reveal some vital information.

But as to whether _that _was cause for concern…

_If you're lucky…_

Sighing, L slipped off the sofa and walked into the kitchen again, suddenly craving another cupcake.

* * *

3:13 AM.

A beep sounded off from the laptop, a system tray alerting L to another unauthorized e-mail. L took his head off of his bent knees, his eyes slightly glazed over from a near-entry into a very brief nap, and stared at the monitor for a while, startled more by his own drowsy state than the sudden noise.

He had always thought himself able to be completely independent of Watari, but not until he'd come to Los Angeles alone did he realize exactly how hard his job was without at least a minimal amount of support. His laptop and backup laptop, voice modifier, cell phone, and all the other portable gadgets he'd been able to carry with him were enough to get by, but that was it—simply enough to get by. He also had to worry more about revealing his identity and being able to spend money from any of his multiple accounts; though he still had access to third-party resources, he now had to do so without giving Watari any trails to follow. It was also probably because he wasn't working up to his full potential, applying his knowledge to multiple cases in multiple countries.

And above all else, his stash of sweets was paltry at best. Only ten hours and he was already tired, his sugar levels dropping like a rock.

Now feeling a little annoyed at himself, he leaned forward to open the e-mail.

_The scorpion has finally found his shadow, and also the bible needed for his redemption, but is he truly prepared for the pilgrimage? Ask for benediction, speak the language of the boot, and you will be given a deceptive crab. Ask for it again, speak frankly on an island, and you will be given a scorpion who can pierce any shield. Carry these blessings to the island kingdom and commit a sin to receive records of a greater transgression._

Another beep sounded off shortly after, indicating a second e-mail sent by the same unauthorized source. L opened it to see an image file of an elaborate grid of numbers and letters similar to the one he received when Beyond instructed him to go to Los Angeles.

The young detective glanced at the grid wearily, for once admitting to himself that he wasn't at his best right now, and burrowed his head into his legs again to take a short nap.

(End Chapter 7)


	8. Meetings in Manhattan

Title: Silent Consonant

By: Dr. Kim-chan

Author's Note: Sorry for the delay in bring this chapter; I kept getting sidetracked by various other things (among them preparing to go to an anime convention this spring; I have three cosplays to finish!) But I'm glad to see I have some smart and loyal readers; that makes me so happy! Ithilelda, super cookies to you! And Minyadagniriel, it was no picnic thinking like Beyond. I decided from the beginning that Beyond would go with a theme to match the ideals he's trying to portray through this "game" he's playing with L—in particular, using birthdates, astrology, childish rhymes and riddles (I always thought of Beyond as the more childish of the two, and not just because of the age difference), and the concept of numerology, in which birthdates and other significant numbers are used to divine one's personality and fate.

On another note (no pun intended), as a couple of my other readers have been concerned about, Light, Soichiro, Matsuda and the rest of the gang will all play their parts in due time...even Naomi and Raye (not to give anything away, but I'm not done with those two by a long shot).

Anyway, shall we see who else Beyond's caught in his trap?

* * *

The terminals of John F. Kennedy International Airport practically hummed with activity, as usual. Being one of the busiest airports in New York City (one of the busiest in the country, for that matter), the hum was far from unusual, even into the late hours of the night and on into the early morning. As analog and digital clocks reported the time as 7:54 AM, the steel gray light of a cloudy morning illuminated nearly every corner of the massive interior, making it even harder for harried and exhausted travelers alike to wake up and be more on the alert for whatever they had to do next to get to where they wanted to go.

On the light-speckled maze of runways surrounding part of the airport complex, a passenger jet that left LAX at around 11:02 PM the previous night pulled in on time after only one stop in Las Vegas. Shortly after it docked with its corresponding gate, passengers began pouring out of the gate, either to wait for another flight or to enter the city for business, pleasure, or a decadent combination of the two.

And one passenger in particular was solely here for business.

He typically liked to arrive at his destination at night to minimize the possibility of revealing any hint of his identity, but his schedule had been out of his control for a number of weeks now, thanks to Beyond. The best he could do was endure it for the time being. Fortunately, the crowds around him were so tired that they barely took notice of his ruffled hair, baggy eyes, and disheveled clothes; most of them looked more or less the same.

Slowly making his way towards baggage claim, L used one of his legs to balance his small stack of carry-on luggage as he took out his phone out of his pants and dialed a number.

_Ring…ring…ring…_

"_Wedy._"

"It's L."

"_L_," she purred. "_So the illustrious detective requires my services once again._"

L's brows furrowed, already cranky from a lack of sugar. This was only part of the problem of working with the security-breaking mastermind known as Wedy; even after being caught a few years ago toppling over a handful of high-profile banking institutions, the fact that her prowess had been so impressive as to make L cut a deal and use her as a valuable associate never ceased to boost her ego.

"I just arrived in New York," he said, purposefully ignoring the thief's taunts. "Are you available?"

"_For you, always._"

"Meet me at the Waldorf Astoria at nine o'clock tonight. Ask for a Mr. Coil at the desk once you get there."

"_Fine. See you then._"

Both sides hung up, and L repositioned everything in his hands in order to continue walking towards the baggage claim area. He stared straight ahead, desperately yearning for any kind of sugary snack. It was still a little early to check in at the aforementioned hotel, though L was more than capable of pulling a few strings. Still, he reasoned, it wouldn't hurt to stop by a bakery somewhere. Maybe then he could get over this rare bout of exhaustion and shake off the paranoid feeling of being watched.

As L passed an adjoining gate reserved for another domestic flight, out of his range of vision, a slouched figure in an oversized black hoodie watched his back warily—at least, as best as he could with the hood pulled tight over most of his face.

He grinned. L never ceased to amaze him.

* * *

_Ring…ring…_

L pulled out his cell again a few minutes later, now in a taxicab traveling towards midtown Manhattan. On the other side of the glass partition, the driver's ears perked up, but he paid no attention to his fare otherwise (though for the first few minutes of the trip, he couldn't stop peeking at L's strange posture). L eyed him for a few seconds more before answering.

"Hello?"

"…_With the speed you solve my puzzles, maybe I should raise the level of difficulty. Then again, the answer you'll find will be much harder to comprehend than the questions._"

"You followed me to New York?" L asked incredulously, already familiar with Beyond's voice at this point.

"_Correction: _you _followed _me_. You were the one who had to solve the puzzle, remember? And we passed each other briefly at the airport. You looked rather tired. Is my little game starting to get to you? Well, don't expect any sympathy. It's about time you learned to stand on your own two feet._"

L gritted his teeth—which would have been a sign to any common acquaintance of his that he was indeed nearing his limit.

"_That's also why I'm not interfering. All in all, you seem to be doing well, so I'll just keep standing back and watching you…_"

"Wait."

L grit his teeth again after stopping his rival from hanging up, unsure of exactly why he was going to say what he was about to say, and thus throw a bit of his pride away.

"In the puzzle you mentioned something about 'committing a sin to receive records of a greater transgression'. What exactly is the sin I'm supposed to commit?"

Much to L's relief (and his unease), he didn't even hear so much as chuckle.

"_Under normal circumstances I wouldn't tell you since it'd be cheating, but you got this far, and I'm in a good mood, so why not?_"

A pause.

"_In the island kingdom, the bull is king, and we are all his jesters. The scorpion strayed so far from his castle to rule over others, but now he must return to his kingdom under threat of detection. But with his blessings, he'll find a crack in the castle wall, and he'll find the records he seeks._"

The line abruptly went dead, the monotonous dial tone grating in L's ear.

* * *

Hours later, the same darkness that covered Los Angeles on the west coast the previous night now drew itself over New York's skyline, transforming the city into a steel-and-concrete galaxy.

Through a stream of moderate traffic, a single motorcycle zipped across the Manhattan Bridge, racing up 4th Avenue with little delay. The rider scowled behind the visor of her helmet as the congestion slightly thickened. Though Wedy loved the opulence and excitement of New York, it wasn't her native home, and with her love of biking, New York streets made it next to impossible. After a job in which she had to spend a lot of time here, she made a second home here, but when the fancy struck her, she went back to the open spaces of Aspen.

She'd been preparing to head west yet again, actually, and then she got the call from L. With his unpredictability, she couldn't help but wonder: what case was she about to involve herself in this time?

And more importantly, how much was she getting paid?

After passing a crowded Grand Central Station, Wedy finally closed the gap between her and the address of the hotel L specified. Sliding into an improvised parking space, she dismounted the motorcycle, removed her helmet, and made her way into the Waldorf Astoria.

This was one of New York's premiere hotels, but as luxurious as the elevated foyer was, Wedy was completely unimpressed. Partly due to L, partly due to breaking into other wealthy people's homes, she'd seen places more luxurious.

She stopped over at the reception desk and, following L's instructions to the letter, asked for a guest named Mr. Coil. After they searched for the necessary information and what felt like an eternity in silver-coated elevators, she ultimately ended up on the twenty-sixth floor, where they kept the deluxe "concierge-level" rooms.

Not much ran through her mind as she prepared to come face-to-face with one of the few men in the world she would willingly work for. Unlike Naomi, she was more or less prepared for anything L had to offer, though a few of his idiosyncrasies still irked her. She knew that sometimes wealth equaled eccentricity, but L was the very definition of the word. One time she even saw him eat twenty sugar cubes—straight—all in a row. She shuddered at the thought of the disgusting aftertaste that would've left in her own mouth.

With leather-gloved hand, she turned the knob and stepped into the suite.

"Mr. Coil?" Wedy called out in a sing-song voice.

"In here."

Following the sound of his voice, she wandered into the spacious sitting room, where she immediately spotted the raccoon-eyed man perched atop one of the sky-blue loveseats, munching happily on the hotel's complimentary chocolate-covered strawberries. Seconds later, Wedy tipped her sunglasses and saw something _she _wanted: the bottle of champagne that came with the strawberries.

"Still haven't given up the sweet stuff, I see," Wedy noted, separating the cork from the bottle with one deft twist of the wrist and pouring a pint into a glass.

"It helps whenever I need to focus all my energy and concentration into any given situation. I don't think I can say the same for the champagne you're about to drink, though."

"For God's sakes, L, I'm not an alcoholic. No harm in loosening up one's tongue a little. Besides, whatever you're up to that I need to be involved in, I'm sure I need a drink to hear it."

"…To be honest, considering the circumstances, if I drank, I'd be joining you for a glass right now as well."

The blonde thief nearly choked on her third sip, chuckling to herself quietly even as L's face remained stony.

"Now I _know _I need a drink," Wedy muttered. "That's not something you're supposed to hear from the 'world's greatest detective'. I thought that old guy was supposed to take some of that stress off your shoulders."

Just noticing what she said, she took a quick look around the room. "Speaking of which, where is he?"

"That's part of the problem," L said, finally spotting an opportunity to steer the conversation towards business. "Watari isn't with me."

Wedy narrowed her eyes.

"May I ask why?"

"I'm only working on one case as of now, but it's proving to be quite a handful. I've accepted a challenge from a former rival of mine and I've been working on it for a number of weeks…and it seems that for me to make my latest move, I'll need some assistance, and not just from you."

The thief made a curious humming sound.

"So Thierry's tagging along, too. When is he coming?"

"We won't be staying in New York. Aiber's in Italy at the moment, so we're flying there first to solicit his help, then we're going to England."

"…Not that I mind seeing your pretty face, but you could've just gone to England yourself and flew us in afterwards," Wedy said, knowing full well L was more than capable of planning out such meetings more efficiently.

"Like I said, I don't have Watari with me, which also means I'm not in the position to be moving around by myself, even though in essence, my rival wants me to handle the better part of this challenge alone."

"That explains it. So you left the old guy behind on purpose. Interesting…so what exactly does this 'rival' of yours want you to do? After all, I have to see if this job is worth my while or not."

…_But with his blessings, he'll find a crack in the castle wall, and he'll find the records he seeks…_

L allowed a moment for Beyond's words to echo ominously throughout his mind, making sure he completely understood its implication.

"…We're breaking into an orphanage."

This time, Wedy actually followed through with spitting out a cheek full of expensive champagne.

"_Excuse me?_"

L held up a pair of reproving fingers.

"This isn't any normal orphanage. As it so happens, Watari owns this orphanage. It was where I was trained to become the detective I am now, and it's where others like me are being taught to carry on my work."

"An 'L' factory…I see. Liabilities and all that. So we're talking heavy security?"

"Not as much as what you're used to, but it has to be handled with the same amount of sensitivity. I'm already taking a risk just using you and Aiber. Watari's seen your face before, and while it'll be an eighty-five percent chance he won't be at the orphanage, we'll still need to take extra precautions."

Gradually, L's explanation was grasped by the powers of Wedy's comprehension, but as the meaning became clear, it only raised yet more questions.

"Wait a minute. You left Watari behind in who-knows-where, come alone to New York, then you tell me we're gonna play ring-around-the-Rosie around Europe before we try to break into your former orphanage without Watari knowing? What's in there that's so damn important, anyway?"

"At this point, I'm not entirely sure myself. All I can tell you is that I'm searching for vital information."

"…Did this rival of yours go to the same orphanage?"

L looked up, now on his last strawberry.

"Yes, and looking at the way he's led me thus far, I can only assume whatever's in the orphanage is valuable information."

Wedy sighed, holding up her now-empty glass in front of her face to inspect.

"I have to tell you, L, something about this doesn't feel right, but you've gone through all this trouble already, so why not. What's my cut?"

"Three hundred thousand—I put half in your account already, and you'll receive the other half upon completion of the task, and it'll have to be via electronic transfer. That way it'll be harder for Watari to trace. We leave tomorrow evening."

Beaming at the promise of payment, Wedy refilled her glass.

"I don't know what sounds better: the money or the world's greatest detective trying to steal from himself."

(End Chapter Eight)


	9. Light and Shadow

Title: Silent Consonant

By: Dr. Kim-chan

Author's Note: Wow, longest delay so far for this fic! Sorry, this chapter REALLY had me stuck. And thank you, wednesday1990, for pointing out the airport thing, and there were a couple of reasons I deliberately stuck with JFK in the end. First, I didn't want to overdo the whole 'L' and 'A' symbolism (you know, _La_Guardia), especially right after L left Los Angeles. Second, the distance seemed to make sense symbolically; after all, Beyond has been nothing but an inconvenience to L thus far. And probably the most straightforward reason of all—JFK was the first airport to come to mind. (shrugs shoulders)

Anyway, for this chapter, I'd like to take the spotlight off L for a moment, mainly because the meeting with Aiber will pretty much be a rehash of Chapter 8, but also because something else is going on behind the scenes…crap, writing this chapter depressed me. Believe me, if you think like Beyond long enough, you may almost start hating L. Just read for yourself.

Annnd…fade to dream sequence written in the present tense.

* * *

_Sun and shadows alternate in an uneven rhythm as the clouds outside the library windows pass by, more shadows than sun. What little light can filter in through the dusty windows casts the room in a harsh contrast._

_A book lies out on a table in front of him, a half-empty jar of jam sitting next to it, catching the dim sunlight. The words are blurred--he's not really paying attention to the book. He's waiting for A to show up so they can go over the latest unit of forensic psychology. They have another exam at the end of the week, and A hasn't been doing well lately._

_The shadows change again, for a second giving the illusion that the table's longer than it actually is._

_Light…shadow…light…shadow…_

_B grows impatient. A should've been here ten minutes ago. Chances are he's snuck off to the bell tower on the roof of the orphanage again. He always likes hiding there, contemplating who-knows-what, and he's spending a lot more time there lately. Certainly that's contributing to his falling grades, but B suspects something else. A simply hasn't been himself. Maybe when A shows up, B can talk to him…_

_Screams._

_He feels the chair jolt under him as he jumps up, startled. The screaming seems to be coming from the kids playing outside, the same place where he was hearing laughing just seconds ago. He hears stampeding footsteps from those inside, running to the front door to see what's going on._

_Gasping. Yelling. More screaming. Someone calls for Roger._

_B hurriedly jumps down from the chair, abandoning the book and the jam, and runs out of the library. Now he's hearing scared whispers, sniffling and crying…_

_Someone says A's name._

_B's heart sinks._

_The front door is wide open, but a crowd blocks whatever it is everyone's looking at. In the rooms and hallways to the immediate left and right, more children are peering out the windows. Before he can ask what everyone's looking at, Roger rushes down the hallway as fast as he humanly can with his omnipresent cane, commanding everyone to stand back so he can see what in the world's going on._

_Reluctantly, the crowd parts._

_The shadows give way to sunshine again…_

_He gets his first glimpse, even as Roger suddenly becomes slow in passing through the threshold and stepping down the stairs. If B isn't mistaken, he even stumbles for a second._

_There's a driveway that stretches in a graceful curve from the gated wall to the front entrance of the orphanage, all of it usually pristine peach granite._

_Not anymore._

_There's a large red patch a few feet away from the front steps._

_There's a body there._

A's _body._

_His face is turned away from the doorway, but B definitely knows it's A._

_His body lies in a slightly imperfect line, slumped over on one side. His arms are bent out at an angle from his torso, his waist ever so gently twisted to the right. It almost looks natural; he almost could've been sleeping out there on the stained granite—but his head gives it away. It's resting in a growing pool of blood, not a pillow. And his neck is bent the wrong way._

_No one says anything. No one can…_

* * *

Beyond's head jerked up, the rare sensation of fear hitting its peak before draining away from his body just as quickly. The vivid dichromatic hues of his memories were, for the most part, gone, replaced by the gloom of an airplane cabin. Instantly he remembered where he was, redefining the line between past and present.

After ensuring that L followed his path of clues to the right place, Beyond immediately left New York from JFK on a departing flight to London less than two days after he arrived. Considering that Beyond's moves were almost solely based on L's ability to solve his puzzles, it was a little risky, but his actions hardly needed justification; if L figured out that quickly that Wedy would be one of the "blessings" required to take the next step, there was no doubt in his mind L would subsequently travel to Italy, and then ultimately they would cross paths with each other once again.

Beyond turned on his overhead lamp—for a second, the glaring light forced him to recall the harsh sunlight shining on A's corpse—unfolded the tray in front of him, and dug out his laptop, his grasp on reality now fully retained, but with his mission still firmly fixed in his mind, he didn't want the memories to disappear entirely.

Those fleeting images were one of the reasons he was playing this game in the first place.

Admittedly, however, at first he didn't understand any of it. After seeing A's body lying out on the front lawn, the entire orphanage was thrown into confusion, and somewhere amid the frightened silence and flying rumors, Beyond learned that A had been seen by multiple people falling from the bell tower. In that context, it sounded like it'd been just a terrible accident, but the more observant children said A had been teetering at the edge, arms wide open at one point, and took a starting jump.

So a _willing _fall, then. Suicide.

And for the first time, it had been a death even Beyond couldn't predict. After all, the future wasn't _entirely_ immutable.

But none of this held any significance for him until later, at A's funeral.

He still remembered that autumn day…an overcast, windy morning, but no rain. Somber faces. Cloaked undertakers. The simple pine coffin.

And he remembered L.

The famed detective stood humbly by the grave site, Watari close by his side as always, but hovering in the background. Throughout the entire service, his face was passive, not even the slightest twitch from his lips, his black eyes staring at the ground emptily as if there was nothing down there, as if there was no body to mourn over.

Right after the funeral, L disappeared, and that very afternoon, Beyond was called into Roger's office. And Roger told him, in plain words, that L now entrusted Beyond with A's prior responsibilities. When he asked Roger where L went, the answer was as bare as the trees outside.

L had gone back to wherever he came from to work on his current case. No words or regrets had been exchanged, except to tell Roger to pass on his empty declaration on his behalf.

Just like that.

A died because he despaired over living up to L's standards, and the attitude L projected only seemed to confirm that. In the detective's eyes, there never was a funeral. There never was a death. There never was an orphan who so desperately wanted to prove himself that he crossed one toe into insanity.

There was only a broken piece of a machine that served the system, and as long as a replacement piece could be found, no one gave morals or mortality a second thought.

These thoughts only intensified when Beyond was given his new codename. The name he'd so proudly given himself due to his gift of seeing others' fates was taken away from him. He would then always be referred to as "B"—"Backup". Not as good as L…never to be good as L, but competent enough so that L would always live on. Never to be as exalted in his own right, but to be a functional copy of the original.

And even still, none of this struck Beyond with any furor or fear until he innocently entertained the notion of replacing L. Then it would be B, and the cycle at the orphanage would continue.

And maybe someday, one of _his _acolytes would wither under his shadow and die. And he would attend their funeral with the same soulless, overconfident expression as L.

But Beyond, even then, was always one to be aggressive. He wouldn't wait for L to grow old or die. He would challenge him, on his own terms.

Now that he reflected on it, Beyond was grateful he lost out in the Wara Ningyo Murders. Seeing L for himself in prison presented the possibility that the detective wouldn't have taken the loss as hard as Beyond thought he would. But that also made him feel relieved. If L had merely self-destructed in the same way as A did, it would've only meant that L's reputation definitely did precede him, and for Beyond to have gone through all this trouble, for A to die for someone who hadn't even been worth it—that would've been a worse insult.

Beyond wanted to laugh at the irony this new game presented him with—and he actually did a few times before. All this time he'd been seeking L's destruction, and after all this, it appeared that the only way to do so would be to save him.

The laptop monitor flashed, displaying the log-on screen. Beyond typed in the password, and then went straight to work as soon as the internet connection established itself. Normally he wouldn't be doing L such a big favor, but at this point it wasn't about the game.

Beyond smiled to himself as he gained access to the necessary server.

No, the _real _game would begin after the final card was played.

* * *

Roger was in the middle of letting out a short yawn when a tapping sound startled him. He looked over his shoulder at the two bay windows flanking his desk, alleviating his irrational fear when he saw that it was only the onset of a short downpour. With these temperatures, it would surely turn to freezing rain overnight.

The sudden sound also invariably readied him for the much more jarring sound of the phone ringing. Immediately he picked it up.

"Roger Ruvie, administrator of Wammy's House."

"_Roger? It's Watari._"

Roger arched an eyebrow. This was rare. He had gotten word a couple of weeks ago that Watari had been in England, but at the time he had no need to travel anywhere near the orphanage.

"Hello, sir. What do you need?"

"_By any chance, has L come around to visit you at the orphanage?_"

Roger tightened his lips, chewing slightly on one of them. That wasn't a good question for Watari to ask, by _any_ means.

"No, I haven't seen nor heard from him, and the last time I talked to you, you were in London. Are you still there?"

"_No. L and I were attending to a few cases, and we were using France as a momentary base since one of the more high-profile cases were taking place there. When I left for London, I'd left L to tend to himself. I returned to France a couple of weeks ago and saw that L was no longer staying at the hotel, but a good amount of our equipment is still here, and the hotel room was still being held in my name._"

"Well, surely L contacted you to let you know where he is, especially if he's handling a case independently."

"_Yes, and I told him the very same before I left_," Watari affirmed. "_I haven't received a call yet, and when I try to call his private cell phone, I'm being told that the number has been discontinued._"

A tense silence.

"I see," Roger said simply. "Well, have there been any other signs of movement?"

"…_I don't know if it has any bearing on the matter, but around the time that I was preparing to return to France, I was contacted by my alma mater. A copy of my graduate thesis was borrowed by someone from UCLA and it hadn't been returned. It was a minor matter, though, and since then they've told me that the thesis was eventually returned to Cambridge._"

The silence intensified. Roger's history with Watari went way back, including their collegiate careers, so he knew exactly what he was talking about. Still, there was a chance that someone borrowed the thesis who had simply wanted to use it for a paper or a project; that was the ultimate purpose of published theses, after all.

And yet the timing was too perfect...

But whatever the circumstances, it still didn't change the fact that L couldn't be accounted for.

"Do you think we should start—"

"_No, not yet. L simply could have made a break in one of his cases while I had been gone and left to take care of it, and this isn't the first time he's worked apart from me. I'll give him a week or two to contact me, or wait for one of the authorities we've been involved with to contact me, whichever happens first, and in the meantime please tell me if you see or hear anything._"

"I'll keep you informed," Roger promised.

Making brief farewells, they both hung up. Roger sighed, interlocked his fingers and rested his chin on top of them, his stare on the door right in front of him. His thoughts wandered to what was on the other side of that door: a flight of stairs, and above those stairs, the bedrooms of the children living here, including the two—well, three—prospective successors of L…

Roger subtly shook his head. No, it was too early to think of that. L would eventually be found or show up on his own, and Watari would call him back with the good news.

…Hopefully.

(End Chapter Nine)


	10. Cache

Title: Silent Consonant

By: Dr. Kim-chan

Author's Note: Just for the record, the title of this chapter means "hidden" in French, and it's also a relevant word pun, as you'll later see.

So, aside from thanking my lovely readers for following me this far to the Almighty Tenth Chapter of my fanfic (it's rare that my fics reach over ten chapters, and it's about to get real intense soon), let's talk about music! It's rare that my stories come with their own "theme songs", but for some reason "Silent Consonant" lends itself to a soundtrack. When I was writing Chapter Nine I had a particular song firmly fixed in my mind: "Gloomy Sunday" by Björk; it fit the memories of Beyond perfectly. As for this chapter? "L's Theme", of course! But whatever song you listen to while reading this, at least you're reading, right?

Un-traditional Disclaimer: I know next to nothing about the French language, nor do I know squat about French intelligence agencies. I did a _little _bit of research, but nothing too in-depth, so please forgive any mistakes you may see. And expect subtitles.

Un-traditional Disclaimer 2: Ithil, in one of your reviews you gave me a cute idea that I wanted to use here, so thanks in advance!

* * *

Keeping one hand on the sleek gray Aston Martin's steering wheel, Aiber reached down into the space between his seat and the armrest of the car, rifled through a manila folder, and picked up the piece of paper L had handed to him hours before, cocking a skeptical eyebrow as he read the sparse amount of data relevant to the mission he was about to undertake. In the seat next to him, Wedy tilted her shades downwards and gazed out the window at the verdant English countryside racing past them, probably thinking the exact same thing he was.

Though he felt a little displaced, Aiber sighed with contentment. As one of the world's foremost con men, life was always changing, and his identity was always evolving, and as a gradually developed philosophy of his, one had to be ready to adapt in accordance with those changes…and quickly.

Especially whenever L was involved.

For the past few months, he'd been back in Florence, juggling time between his extended family and settling a few of his assets (whether any of those were legal, that was his own business), and for once in a long while, a rare sense of serenity had come over his daily routine…hell, it was a even a stretch to use the term "routine".

Then all of a sudden, one afternoon, L called him, told him he'd flown in with Wedy (of all people), and asked if he would meet him at a local five-star hotel called Helvetia and Bristol…

* * *

_Five days earlier…_

* * *

"_L…a pleasure as always," Aiber greeted the detective semi-sarcastically as he stepped into the ornately furnished suite. He then turned and nodded his head towards the room's other occupant, a blonde woman clad head-to-toe in designer labels. "And hello to you, Miss Kenwood."_

_Wedy smirked, trying and failing to hide any trace of malicious intent behind her dish of tiramisu, as Aiber stepped over to the cramped sitting area and occupied the other armchair._

"_So you finally showed up. You just _have _to hear this."_

_Aiber arched an eyebrow and followed Wedy's gaze to the disheveled young man curled up in the loveseat on the other side of the table who'd been listening to the brief exchange of small talk with a stone-faced expression, his own slice of tiramisu three times the size of Wedy's. Keeping his own wary stare on the master thief, L offered Aiber a piece of the rich Italian pastry and ate a few bites of his own before explaining the situation._

"_As I explained over the phone, I'm working independently on a personal matter—aside from you and Wedy, of course. That is, if you'll accept my offer."_

"_I don't know what would be the point in refusing. Besides, things have been rather quiet these past few months; I've been waiting for a challenge."_

"_Is breaking into an orphanage challenging enough for you?"_

_The fork was barely past Aiber's lips before incredulity froze his face, his mouth left to inelegantly hang open. A full two seconds passed before he put down the fork, eyes shifting frantically between the bemused thief and the impassive detective._

"_As absurd as it sounds, she's telling the truth," L finally spoke, reading into Aiber's shocked expression. "But there's more to it than it seems…"_

* * *

Aiber had to admit, when Wedy mentioned an orphanage, and when L explained that it was an institution that served as the basis for the system that supported and secured the detective's future prospects, he _did _start to have his doubts, but as he said, he didn't see the point in refusing, and besides, L wouldn't waste his time doing anything if it wasn't worth the risk.

But…

"You think something's up, too, don't you?"

The expert con man's reverie was suddenly broken by Wedy's voice. All the glee she had before was now completely drained from her face—the tell-tale sign that she was looking for a serious answer, not lighthearted banter.

"Well, the circumstances _are _suspect. He says this is for some classified information, but to break into your own former orphanage? L's pulled some stunts before, but this has me stupefied. He couldn't just waltz in himself?"

"You heard what he said. He's being forced to work alone, which means he doesn't want Watari or anyone else he's involved with to be mixed up in all this," Wedy reminded him.

"So what does that make us?"

"The same thing we've always been: victims of the so-called 'justice system' working in exchange for free will."

"How romantic," Aiber joked.

"Hmph. But seriously, you don't think this could be a set-up? Whoever this rival of his is, at the very least he used to be associated with L. Was going to _be _L if he hadn't bailed out. The whole thing reeks of betrayal."

"Maybe the fact that this guy does think like L is exactly why we _shouldn't_ worry. If you keep trying to outsmart your own shadow, you'll always end up failing. It's possible they have some sort of unspoken agreement between each other. 'If you don't break my rules, I'm willing to follow yours', that kind of thing…but of course, there's a risk to that, too."

"Which is?"

"If that agreement is indeed mutually understood, it's also probable that one of them is already one, maybe two steps ahead of the other."

"And who do you think's ahead?" Wedy asked.

"If I had to bet on it, the other guy. L can be a sneaky bastard sometimes, but he's a bit too naïve for my tastes. But like you said, we're just on the sidelines, working for our freedom. Nothing _we_ should be concerned about, right?"

"Depends on if the other guy plans for us to be caught up along with him. And don't forget, if something _does _happen to L, our asses are on the line too."

"…We'll just have to charge him extra, then."

* * *

A quarter of an hour later, they finally reached the gates of the orphanage. Running a sharp contrast to the true nature of the institution, the path was wide open for anybody to roll in. However, as Wedy assessed a couple of days ago, it wasn't as simple as it looked, especially in the evenings. Motion detectors alerted those inside to any visitors, wanted or unwanted, and a couple of hidden cameras took visual records of any incoming cars' license plates, this security system doubled at night. The latter wouldn't make a difference in this case, however, as the license plate on the Aston Martin would be difficult to trace.

"The motion detectors should've kicked in by now. Are you ready, _Monsieur Aubin_?"

"As always, _Madame DuVerger_."

The Aston Martin rolled to a stop in front of the steps, and the pair stepped out after double-checking that they had their identification cards at the ready. Immediately Wedy spotted their next set of minor obstacles: another set of cameras hidden out of view around the parameter of the entrance, and a messaging console with a couple of unlabeled buttons, one of which Aiber fearlessly pushed.

"_Yes, who is it?_" Roger's voice croaked out.

"Hello. You've been contacted a couple of days ago by L concerning our visit, yes?" Wedy responded in a near-flawless French accent.

This was the critical moment in the plan; it was out of the question for L to actually show up at Wammy's House, but for their infiltration to have _some _credibility, L took the initiative to call Roger.

And as they hoped, it didn't take long for Roger to answer the door.

"Oh…welcome. Please come in."

As they stepped into the wood-paneled foyer and led to Roger's office, Aiber and Wedy took the opportunity to scope out the place, which had to be the most upscale orphanage they've ever seen. It was eerily quiet, the smallest sounds from adjoining rooms giving away any sign that children were here. The feeling only intensified when, a minute later, Roger ushered them into his office.

"Um, yes, I did receive L's call a couple of days ago, but may I ask what exactly your connection to L is?"

Aiber then leaned forward slightly as fluent French poured out of his mouth.

"_Mon nom est Edouard Aubin. Je suis de la Direction Generale de la Securite Exterieure._"

He then exchanged glances with Wedy, who picked up her cue and "translated" for him.

"He says 'My name is Edouard Aubin, from the Directorate-General for External Security'. I am Antoinette DuVerger; I am also an agent from the Directorate-General for External Security, as well as Monsieur Aubin's translator."

"_Je ne travaille pas habituellement en dehors de la France, mais cette matiere entre les fonctionnaires de notre pays et L est devenue assez pressante que nos superieurs nous ont envoys sur une telle breves informations. Nous faisons des excuses pour le derangement,_" Aiber continued.

"He says he doesn't usually work outside of France, but the matter between our country's officials and L has become urgent enough that they felt it prudent to send him on such short notice, and he apologizes for the inconvenience," Wedy commented.

"No, that's perfectly all right," Roger replied.

"Thank you. Well, as to the reason for our visit, L has been helping us track down a network of weapons and drug smugglers that have been operating in our country when we stopped receiving any further data from him a couple of weeks ago. Then, a few days ago he contacted us with strict instructions to come here in order to receive a file containing all the data he's collected thus far. We know as little about L's current whereabouts as you do, but we assume he chose this location because he felt it to be secure."

"Do you know the method by which he chose to deliver the information?"

Aiber crumpled his eyebrows a little, perfectly feigning confusion. Wedy translated the sentence back to French, and only then did he respond to Roger's question.

"_Nous avons ete menes croire qu'il nous enverrait un e-mail. Il nous a instruits apporter un disque compact blanc._" ("We've been led to believe he would send us an e-mail. He instructed us to bring a blank CD," Wedy repeated in English.)

"Well, there are multiple computers here on the premises—"

Roger was then interrupted by his phone ringing again. Quietly excusing himself, he answered the phone.

"Roger Ruvie, administrator of Wammy's House."

"_Roger, this is L. Have the officials from the DGSE arrived yet?_"

Roger glanced up nervously.

"Yes," he said simply.

"_Then I'm also assuming they've already told you that they're looking for the data file. Tell them I'm dumping the file in the computer that's on the desk furthest from the south wall in the library in approximately three minutes…and don't hang up yet. Just tell them what I've told you._"

Gently putting the phone down, Roger did as L asked (and of course, Wedy translated everything for Aiber), and after an additional explanation on where the library was located, the pair quickly took their leave. Only until Roger heard the 'click' of the lock did he put the speaker back up to his ear.

"Okay, they're headed for the library."

"_All right. As for you, I'd like you to go down to the surveillance room and monitor their movements, just to be on the safe side. If they take any longer than ten minutes, assume espionage and follow all relevant protocols._"

For the first second or two, Roger was extremely puzzled, but this wasn't new for L. Even among those he considered 'close' or 'safe', he still had to keep them under tabs. Probably the only exception to L's suspicions was Watari.

Nevertheless, Roger promised to follow L's instructions, succinctly hanging up afterward.

* * *

Aiber sat down in front of the computer L assigned them, Wedy hovering behind his shoulder. Though there was still the matter of surveillance cameras to worry about, there was no one else in the library at the moment. Not even the possibility of Roger spying on them concerned them; if anything, he was falling into _their _trap.

Shortly after L, Wedy, and Aiber arrived in London, Beyond contacted L again with more details on the "records" they were supposed to find, if it could be called "details". All he said was that, "_They are written and yet unwritten, easily erasable from memory and yet cannot be erased from yours. The shadow, too, has found a hole, and only when you look through the right pane of glass will you see me._" But as predictably obscure as it was, it didn't take L long at all to figure out that the "records" Beyond was talking about were electronic as opposed to written, and the rest of their plan formulated itself from there.

Naturally, L had access to the network in the orphanage; it was one of the primary locations for one of the multiple servers he used when working on his cases, and if one had the talent and means to do so, it also provided an entryway into any other networks he perused. Given a temporary verification code, Aiber and Wedy's real task was to search for any sign of the records Beyond wanted them to find.

L setting Roger on them was also a carefully constructed move, also meant to lend credibility and reduce any potential liabilities. When L said 'monitor their movements', he also meant that anything Aiber did on the computer in the library could be tracked using a separate computer in the lower level of the orphanage. However, L was also standing by, on his laptop at a hotel in London. L's secondary role was to connect to the network and falsely label his laptop as Aiber's station, temporarily close off the computer in the library from the rest of the network, and give Roger the impression that Aiber and Wedy—or rather, Aubin and DuVerger—were on the up and up.

Wedy's cell phone rang.

"DuVerger," she answered, still committed to her character.

"_Are you in?_"

Wedy glanced at Aiber, who was still hard at work. After breaking through a couple of safeguards, he reached the point where the classified server asked for the verification code. Aiber put in the code he memorized, and the code was accepted, opening a whole new set of archives and links.

"We're in."

"_Good. Look for anything out of the ordinary._"

"_Fait-il compte comme hors de l'ordinaire?_" (Does this count as out of the ordinary?)

Aiber lifted one hand, and Wedy passed the phone to him.

"_Je regarde un dossier en ce moment. Il est accentue en rouge avec une etiquette qui a ete modifiee il y a moins de pendant cinq jours._" (I'm looking at one file right now. It's highlighted in red with a tag that was modified less than five days ago.)

"_What's the tag?_" L asked without skipping a beat, fluent in French himself.

"_Neuf-quatre-treize, ABL._" (9-4-13ABL.)

"…_Open it._"

Aiber complied, and it led them to a completely different server…a remote one, if he and Wedy weren't mistaken. And it was asking for another password.

"_Nous n'avons pas attend ceci_," Aiber groaned. "_L, nous sommes demandes un autre mot de passé._" (We weren't expecting this. L, we're being asked for another password.)

"_Let me switch channels for a moment…_"

In seconds the computer appeared to obtain a mind of its own as L gained remote access and explored this new sector.

"…"

"_Quel est errone? _(What's wrong?)" Aiber asked, noting the prolonged pause on the other end.

"…_I'm not familiar with this sector. I've never seen this before._"

"L not knowing something…that's a first," Wedy muttered under her breath.

"_Comment ne savez-vous pas ce que est ce? C'est une partie de votre reseau prive, droite?_" Aiber demanded. (How do you _not _know what this is? This is a part of your private network, right?)

"_If I'm not mistaken, this server belongs exclusively to Watari, but obviously I'm not in a position to figure out the password he uses to get inside…but if Beyond was here before, then he must have figured out some other way to get inside, so he would have left another clue or message somewhere._"

"_Un indice…l'etiquette, peut-etre?_" (A clue…the tag, maybe?)

"_There's nothing to be lost from trying_," L said.

Aiber typed in the short alphanumeric code, and to everyone's relief it worked.

"It looks like nothing but text files," Wedy said, sounding a little disappointed. "Encrypted, too."

"_We'll worry about the encryption later. For now, just copy everything onto the CD._"

"Fine, but I'm telling you right now, it's likely we'll need to compress all this for it to fit on the CD, and it's gonna take a little while."

"_Understood_."

Wedy dug out the slim plastic case, cracked it open, and passed it to Aiber, who popped it into the disk drive. A few seconds later, the deliberate process of compressing and copying the files to the CD started. Though their job wasn't officially done until they safely returned the CD to London, Wedy felt it prudent to breathe a sigh of relief.

"We came all this way just for some encrypted text files? Hardly seems worth the three hundred grand," she complained in Aiber's ear.

Aiber shrugged and grinned. "_C'est la vie._"

(End Chapter Ten)


	11. My Past, Your Future

Title: Silent Consonant

By: Dr. Kim-chan

Author's Note: Just to clarify, Aiber kept talking to L in French for two reasons: one, if anyone had barged into the library, they still wouldn't have known what he was saying, and two, I imagine the surveillance system at Wammy's to be able to pick up sound, but if everything was in French, Roger _still _wouldn't have been the wiser. As for the slim chance of Watari viewing the footage and being able to recognize him and Wedy? You'll see how they'll get past that, as well…heh heh.

And it's complete coincidence that "Aubin" sounds like "Aiber"…really.

Anyway, so we have text files now. Wedy thinks they're no big deal, but as the old adage goes, one should never judge a book (or a CD) by its cover…

And I'm _sooo _about to take liberties with Death Note pre-history from this point on. I'm guessing based on what little info about L and Beyond I have, but hey, isn't that the luxury of fanfiction?

* * *

…_73%._

…_85%._

…_91%._

…_100%._

Three pairs of ears perked up when a tinny sound effect echoed out from the laptop sitting on the coffee table, the whirring sound of the CD in the disk drive slowing down considerably. As L leaned over the coffee table and went straight to work, Wedy heaved a melodramatic sigh, flicking her hair out of her eyes.

Surprisingly, compressing the files and copying them to the CD hadn't taken too long, and Aiber and Wedy were allowed to slip back out of the orphanage without a hitch, but once the CD was delivered into L's hands, a whole new waiting game had started. First, the files had to be copied, decompressed, and secured into the appropriate sector of the laptop's hard drive, but then there was the encryption to undo, which required more than one access key (Beyond "graciously" provided the temporary access keys he used when he hacked into the server, but it hardly made the job easier), and the text files were further grouped up and categorized in various folders, all of them each locked under their own set of security measures.

Not only was the whole process time-consuming, but it only served to raise L's suspicions—not about Beyond, but about Watari.

It wasn't really a surprise that there were things the two kept from each other, usually to keep the other safe, but the amount of security Watari invested into the data in the remote server Aiber found was unreal, even by L's standards. Regardless of Beyond's accomplishment, it must have taken him quite some time to break through these safeguards, let alone make various temporary codes that would be accepted by all these different barriers.

It simply came down to L's tenacious personality. He was an investigator _and_ investigative by nature. If someone was hiding something from him, he _had _to know what it was.

But what exactly was he about to uncover?

"_You think I'll end up like you and A?"_

"_Henh henh henh henh…if you're lucky."_

His phone conversation with Beyond in Los Angeles echoed again in his mind, but for the moment he put fear aside as his coal-black eyes studied a list of the files' attributes and properties.

"So what'd we dig up, or am I just being nosy again?" Wedy asked.

L put the edge of a fingernail in his mouth and began chewing.

"The text files themselves aren't any older than the early 90's, but the information inside is dated to be even older than that. I'm guessing all of this was written down somewhere at one point, then transferred to a more updated medium when technology became advanced enough to hold this type of data at such a high capacity."

L glanced up from the screen. "While you and Aiber retrieve the surveillance footage from the orphanage, I'll continue to look over these files."

Aiber, who'd been indulging in a glass of red wine the entire time, took the opportunity to take one last sip before getting up. Wedy shot L one last look before following Aiber's lead.

"Fine. We know when we're not wanted."

Just before the door closed behind them, L thought he heard Wedy mutter to Aiber, "This has to be the easiest three hundred grand I ever made…"

Now alone with what had to be the fourth sugar-laden cup of tea he had today, L was now free to peruse the data freely, at least until Wedy and Aiber returned. After they got rid of the surveillance footage at Wammy's House, L would fly them back to their respective homes and send them the remaining halves of their payment. Whatever happened after that would, yet again, be left to Beyond's whims.

L turned his attention back to the monitor. Aside from the incongruous dating of the files, quite a few of them were highlighted in a transparent crimson color, including the very first file. Well, that was as good a place to start as any.

L clicked on it.

* * *

_In Reference to: Elite Construction Project, Stage One. Original date of entry: November 12__th__, 1984._

_Subject: L. Age: 5 yrs._

_Today marks what I hope to be the first step towards bettering modern society._

_Years ago, I established the Wammy's House orphanage with the purpose of helping those who've lost their way in life reclaim their talents and make a difference in what I've perceived throughout my life to be a society gradually declining in morality. However, I have since harbored the secret dream that I would find someone with the potential to fit the cast of the perfect elite I outlined in my thesis in my final years at Cambridge, and thus enact reform on a much broader scale._

_Today, I believe I've found him._

_He has a peculiar name, though I can already see this will work to his benefit in the future. If all goes according to plan, there will come a point in time where his identity must be preserved, and for most people it would be difficult to ascertain someone's identity from just a single letter, even if the letter in itself holds the truth._

_Therefore, for this sake of this and future records, I will refer to him simply as 'L'._

_We arrived in Winchester around noon. He hadn't spoken much during the trip, and under normal circumstances I would be worried; children, after all, can be naturally curious…but it seemed that he didn't talk much simply because he __was__ observing everything around him—another admirable trait. This in addition to his young age may mean that he will easily adapt to the rigorous curriculum befitting an elite who will steer mankind into the right direction._

_After getting L acquainted with Roger and the other children in the orphanage, we assigned him a room by himself at the far end of the last hall on the second floor. He accepted his new surroundings with minimal stress, to our relief and delight. At this early stage, it is imperative that he becomes used to a fair amount of solitude, though this does not mean he will be isolated twenty-four hours a day. As I stated in the second part of my thesis, while it is necessary for the elite to maintain a certain degree of distance in order to avoid becoming overly emphatic and emotional in times of crisis, it is equally important that he is not denied opportunities to socialize entirely, otherwise the subject may regress into a state of anomie and/or develop other psychological disorders, and therefore would be useless as an effective leader._

_I've instructed Roger to continue monitoring L's behavior and to administer his assessment tests tomorrow. I'll return later that day to evaluate the results and compare them to his past records and documents. If the results are up to standards, we can use that information to begin outlining his course of study._

* * *

L blinked.

Few words could describe what reading that entry felt like. If he _had _to give it some sort of allegory, it was almost like an out-of-body experience, or looking at himself through a two-way mirror. His own memories of that day, although clear, were severely fractured. He remembered standing at the gates of the orphanage, curiously peering through the iron bars, then looking up at a tall, kindly, elderly man who had introduced himself as Watari a few days before. He remembered kids with somber expressions, the dim-lit hallways, his room, Roger's stoic expression. He even remembered the cold November; he'd been bundled up in winter clothing.

But at the same time, it felt rather disconcerting. L himself wasn't entirely without blame in this matter, and he told Naomi that if the correlation between him and Watari's thesis was actually true he didn't mind being labeled a successful experiment, but to see himself being referred to as a 'subject'…it was a bit dehumanizing.

But no other emotion came up. If anything, this first bit of information only served to peak his curiosity. As compelling as all this was, it _still _wasn't enough to sway L's emotions…or was he just repressing it?

No. He had to stay focused. This _still _didn't explain why the project was continuing at the orphanage if L was meant to end society's vicious cycle of destruction, nor did it give any negative insight into L's personal future. And it didn't explain anything about B's personal motivations, or what A had to do with any of it.

As of now, this was nothing more than another clue. And like all clues, he had to follow it to the very end.

As he painstakingly licked the edges of a sugar cube, he clicked on the second file and continued reading.

* * *

"_Yes, Roger? Have you heard anything?_"

Roger sighed as he heard his colleague's voice on the other line. He knew L was probably in a delicate position right now, but Roger answered to Watari, first and foremost. Besides, though Watari had to be worried right now, he was certainly more than competent enough not to compromise L's current mission.

"I received some visitors earlier today—two agents from France's Directorate-General for External Security. They said they've been working with L on a case concerning weapons and drug smugglers when he suddenly stopped communication a little under a month ago. Then a few days ago L contacted them and told them that he was working undercover and wanted to pass along some information via a third party, so he told them to pick up the files here."

"_Well, that would certainly correlate with the time when L disappeared, and L was working on a case like that in France…the 'Black Hexagon' case, if I'm not mistaken. My greater concern right now, though, is how they learned about the orphanage._"

"About that…right after they arrived, I got a call from L, validating the agents and giving them the rest of their instructions, then told me to keep an eye on them just to be safe."

"_Did L say where he was?_"

"No, and the agents didn't know, either."

"_Did they happen to give their names?_"

"Ah…yes. A Mr. Edouard Aubin and a Ms. Antoinette DuVerger. They arrived by car, so we should have a visual of their license plate as well."

"_All right. Secure all of today's footage. I'll visit the Directorate-General's headquarters tomorrow and see if I can get confirmation of any movement on that case and any information on those two agents, then I'll come up there as soon as I can._"

"I understand. I'll see you soon, then."

* * *

As he took an earpiece out of his ear, Aiber tightened his grip on the steering wheel and exhaled slowly. Wedy grimaced, took the other earpiece out of her ear, and stuffed the portable device she'd been holding in the armrest's compartment.

They'd barely got out of metropolitan London, and now everything was taking a twist—a potentially dangerous twist.

When Wedy first scoped out Wammy's House, she took the extra measure of bugging the phone lines (in her personal opinion, the only remotely challenging aspect of this job so far). Up until now she wasn't sure if it'd been worth it, but as experience taught her time and time again, she had to be ready for anything.

She snatched up her cell phone and dialed.

"…_Hello?_"

Wedy raised an eyebrow. L almost sounded annoyed, as if she'd interrupted him in the middle of something. _Well_, she thought sarcastically, _he can't get any more frustrated right now._

"I just tapped into the phone lines at the orphanage, and it sounds like we got a problem. A _big _problem."

"_What is it?_"

"Ruvie called Watari and told him about your little visit, and it sounds like they've been looking all over for you…but whatever. The bigger issue is that Ruvie gave out the fake names we gave him, and Watari's heading to the Directorate-General's headquarters tomorrow to verify everything, then coming straight here. And he told Roger to hold on to all the footage from today."

"_Then Roger making separate copies of the footage is over ninety percent possible at this point._"

"So you want us to retrieve the copies, too? It'll take a while longer, but if we're erasing the original footage anyway, we might as well go all the way."

"_...No. We'll stick with the original plan._"

In response to L's terse answer, Wedy actually pulled the phone away from the side of her head and stared at it as if it'd magically transformed into a singing hermit crab.

"Excuse me if I'm wrong, L, but wasn't the whole point of me and Aiber going back to the orphanage to _not get caught_?" she snapped.

"_To not get caught by _Roger_, yes, but I wasn't aware that Watari had already solicited his help in trying to find me._"

Wedy then heard a barely audible 'tch', which took her completely by surprise. From the sound of it, L hadn't expected Watari to act on his disappearance so quickly.

"_Either way, we can't stop Watari from going to the Directorate-General, and when he doesn't find any record of anyone named Aubin and DuVerger, he'll most likely come to one of two conclusions: either someone's spying on me, or I myself am responsible for this. Only when he views the surveillance footage will he narrow down those conclusions, and this is exactly why getting rid of _all _of it wouldn't be a wise move._"

"I get it," Wedy murmured. "Only you would have the foresight and the resources to erase both the copies _and _the original footage…but aren't you forgetting…?"

"—_that there's also the possibility the 'third party' would also have the foresight and the resources to erase everything? And even if that doesn't happen, there's also the chance he'll recognize you and Aiber's faces once he reviews the footage?_," L finished for her. "_I've already thought of that. At the very least, by neglecting to get rid of the copies, we'll diminish his suspicions about me. That's all we can do at this point._"

"Then it's as I thought. We're being set up."

As Aiber shot his passenger a worried glance, L sighed in exasperation.

"_You're not being set up. In fact, there's a sixty percent chance Watari will never have the opportunity to see your face._"

"…What?"

"_There's one other thing you're forgetting. You're my associates, first and foremost, helping me in my challenge. And whatever we do, ultimately we don't have control over what happens. Someone else is making the rules._"

Then it finally clicked.

"Your rival."

"_Right. The reason I left Watari in the first place was because my rival didn't want him to be involved. If Watari saw that footage, everything would be compromised. He wants this game to end on his terms, and he'll do anything to ensure that it does, even if it means going against the grain and assisting me._"

"Somehow that still doesn't make me feel any better. I mean, we _are _talking about someone who hates you."

"_True, but when it runs so deeply that all one can think about is exacting revenge with their own hands, it hardly means anything if the means outweigh the ends._"

"And what if his 'hatred' doesn't run that deep?"

"_Just in case, after tonight, I'd advise that you and Aiber lay low for a while, and since Watari's set to arrive in London, I'll probably be leaving as well. I should be getting another message from my rival soon, so we'll see how events develop over the next day or two and make our plans accordingly._"

"Fine. See you later, then."

Wedy hung up, and Aiber smirked.

"I knew this was too good to be true," he said.

"Yeah, and I'm starting to think we may be out of our league," Wedy grumbled. "We have L, who suddenly ditches Watari and goes chasing after the one person who wants him dead more than anyone else. We have Watari and Roger, who've been trying to track L down the entire time. Then we have this enemy L's dealing with, and we don't know _what _the hell he's up to."

Wedy leaned back into her seat, leaning her head against an arm she propped up on the side of the door. "No one seems to be aware of what the other person's doing."

"Well, I know what I'm doing after this," Aiber said, propelling the Aston Martin forward as he shifted gears. "Getting back to Florence. I've had enough adventure for one week."

"And if we're caught?"

"Well, L's money will be good for one thing, at least…contributing towards my bail."

(End Chapter 11)


	12. 12 and 13 Make 25

Title: Silent Consonant

By: Dr. Kim-chan

Author's Note: First, to Ithilelda: Thanks for the snacks! (chomps down on a brownie) To ZoneRobotnik: You _should_ be scared of Watari. And to mr. giggles: Aw, you make me blush! I don't deserve your praise. (smile) And don't worry; as I said in Chapter Eight's Author Notes, Naomi's return is pretty much a sure thing anyway. In time, she may even become L's only ally…gah. Shutting up now.

The following two chapters will be very much like the two Death Note manga chapters "Miscellaneous" (in which no one really says anything (rare in Death Note, huh?) and things are progressing slowly) and "Everybody" (where the plot _immediately_ jump-starts again after Mello and Matt burst back on the scene). Isn't it exciting? After eleven or so chapters (I'm counting since Chapter Three), we're finally coming full-circle! Just as well, since this and the next chapter are numbers 12 and 13. Hmm, where have we heard THAT before…?

Note: Someone on another website proposed that L had a particular type of disease, and I did a bit of research to satiate my curiosity (as I can't seem to help but do), and he does fit _some_ of the criteria, and while there's no way of knowing if he actually has it or not, I thought it would add some depth to his character.

* * *

_In Reference to: Elite Construction Project, Stage One. Original date of entry: October 28, 1987_

_Subject: L. Age: 8 yrs._

_I've heard from Roger that L has developed an unusual fondness for all kinds of sweets over the past year and a half. He'll partake of some fruits and dairy products from time to time, but the stronger preference lies with sweets. He's even found a way to stockpile desserts in his room._

_For the past week I've been observing this behavior, and yesterday was the day I decided to confront him about it. He explained to me that he simply enjoyed the taste of them, and that the energy he obtained from the sugar allowed him to stay up more, therefore he could study for longer periods of time. He even made a gallant attempt to justify his actions by pointing out the fact that studying forces him to use his brain, which uses up a considerable percentage of the energy he consumes. _

_While I have no objections to his dedication and commend him for his use of logic, I can't take such a risk with his health, especially not with his condition. Roger and I will try to reintroduce L to more protein and carbohydrates, but I wonder exactly how successful we will be in this endeavor._

* * *

Roger's brows furrowed as he scoured the pixelated folder, his stress doubled by the elderly man observing him behind his shoulder. He checked again, the mouse scrolling over a list of dated video links, but as diligently as he searched, the footage containing all the events of the day when the two DGSE agents visited no longer existed, and neither did the copies he stowed away in the database.

"It's not here. What the devil happened to it?" Roger muttered.

After a tense silence, Watari was about to provide a possible answer when he spotted something out of the corner of his eye.

At the bottom of the list of links was a text file highlighted in red.

Two seconds later, Roger spotted the same thing and, with permission, opened it.

A message.

"_To remove the eyes of someone who is already blind is not a contradiction, but rather an indication of the hope that he will view his sins in a new perspective. Or will this too be in vain?_"

As the words sat there menacingly on the screen, Watari and Roger exchanged nervous glances, and as Roger looked away for a second, Watari's face turned uncharacteristically dour.

* * *

_In Reference to: Elite Construction Project, Stage One. Original date of entry: May 7__th__, 1991._

_Subject: L. Age: 12_

_A while ago, L communicated to me an interest in participating in some sort of outdoor activity. Whether he truly feels he'll benefit from the opportunity or merely wants to satiate his curiosity, I do not know. However, he has grown to be quite competitive. In the moments where he is asked to participate in any sort of game with the other children at the orphanage, L doesn't shy away from the challenge, despite his having Marfan syndrome and his inability to connect with his peers on other levels._

_Fortunately his condition is mild at this early stage, and with continued supervision by his doctors, he shouldn't be at any immediate risk, so I gave him permission to pick out a sport of his liking. Today he returned to me with the answer: tennis._

_Quite admirably, he didn't choose this particular sport to accommodate his disorder; he chose it because he believes the symptoms he exhibits will prove to his advantage. For instance, he said his abnormally long limbs and increased joint flexibility could result in longer strides, greater reach, and more versatile grips on the racket handle._

_As for myself, I hope this experience will teach him valuable lessons in cooperation, endurance, and give him a healthy counterbalance to his academic obligations._

* * *

Wedy sighed as the pilot announced that they were nearing Denver. After this, she would change planes and, another half an hour later, she'd touch down in Aspen.

For the past few days, an irrational fear had been refusing to undo the grip on her body. She left London with one too many loose ends left to be tied up, and L's hypothesis of what would transpire afterward did nothing to allay her fears. Like Aiber said, L was too naïve.

And probably the most troubling thing was the vivid memory of the last time she saw the detective. After he had received his next set of instructions from his adversary, an uneasy glimmer had lingered in his black eyes.

…Though, if she wasn't mistaken, he already had that look on his face when she and Aiber returned from getting rid of the original footage…

* * *

_In Reference to: Elite Construction Project, Stage Two. Original date of entry: June 11, 1994._

_Subjects: L & A. Ages: 15, 12 yrs._

_It's been a couple of years since L first began providing his services openly to the international community, and the results, while not particularly significant, have still been much greater than I anticipated._

_At first I held some reservations about entering Stage Two of this project so early, and while L's methods are rather unorthodox, he has shown a remarkable capacity to handle multiple cases with optimal efficiency. The only thing I fear at this point is that L is a bit too headstrong; even after I set the threshold of his involvement to ten million dollars and/or ten people's lives, like in his childhood, he treats each case as nothing more than a challenge he must win at all costs. In addition, his willingness to cooperate with the proper authorities is limited at best; when he is given a case, L exhibits a tendency to take on a majority of the workload, only asking for assistance when he reaches crisis point, which is rare. Whether this is due to inhibited trust or pride is a matter I will look into presently, but in any case this does not bode well. The ultimate goal is for society to depend on itself, following the example the elite is meant to set._

_Nevertheless, I felt it was time to initiate the next step in Stage Two. While assisting L, I have also begun screening potential candidates at the orphanage in Winchester with the help of Roger; those we find will be trained like L in order to serve as capable replacements. While not absolutely vital to the plan I outlined in my thesis, this will surely provide many advantages._

_About a year ago we found the first one, whom I will refer to as 'A'. He is a little older than L when L began training, but despite this, A also shows the talent to readily digest and comprehend large amounts of information. Also, his age indicates the possibility that he is more socially mature, though this is a working hypothesis at best._

_As with L, he has been tested and given the proper course of study. I leave the rest to Roger, and in the meantime, we will continue to find more candidates._

* * *

"_The scorpion surveys his kingdom, and is confused. It is not as peaceful as he believed; it is not as the bull told him. Where light was meant to reveal the truth, instead the scorpion's shadow towers over the land and darkens everything, not concealing history, but giving it its terrible clarity. So as the vision the scorpion is given is not complete, neither are the records he retrieved._

"_The weary pilgrim has read the bull's bible, has returned to claim a throne that was never his. He is nearing the end of his journey, and at the road's end, will come to the holy place where the sacred bones of those who've come before us lay. When the records can teach you nothing more, when no more blessings can be given, when the bull and his falsehoods are nowhere to be found, the scorpion must go alone, four days from now at the thirteenth hour, to the resting site of the 'one'. His shadow will be spread out over the gravestone…_

"…_And when 12 and 13 meet at Hour 25, only then will 12 know why._"

The London skyline glittered on the other side of the hotel window amid a continuous shower of snowflakes. It was a sight L thought he was supposed to leave behind a couple of days ago.

At the very least—as Beyond indicated in his most recent batch of e-mails—he would soon be seeing something different; L would simply have to stay in the same country. They were due to meet face-to-face again, this time at the most dismal of places, a place L hadn't expected to ever revisit.

A's grave.

There, he would finally be given the full meaning behind the cryptic sentence Beyond uttered years ago in that California prison.

Though he was alone now, in reality he wasn't. He let Wedy leave, but he needed Aiber and the rented Aston Martin for a little while longer. (L was perfectly capable of driving—not just a car, but quite a variety of vehicles, but he did so as infrequently as possible; if anything else, he hated how driving prevented him from curling up in his favorite crouched position.) At the moment, Aiber was asleep in his room.

Aside from the occasional business-related conversation with Aiber, all L had over these past couple of days to keep him company were the dozens upon dozens of text files written by Watari over the years. Hour after hour, he'd been recounting almost every single moment of his past, and that included reading the files that hadn't been highlighted in red. After all, L had to be thorough in examining all the clues.

Well, that was the excuse he continued to give himself.

But even though it was mostly his past, at the same time, it hadn't been comfortable territory to explore. It wasn't him narrating it; it was being _told _to him by someone else.

Someone he knew…or someone he _thought _he knew.

…_The only thing I fear at this point is that L is a bit too headstrong…_

…_his willingness to cooperate with the proper authorities is limited at best…whether this is due to inhibited trust or pride is a matter I will look into presently, but in any case this does not bode well. The ultimate goal is for society to depend on itself…_

Harsh criticism aside, L had to finish reading the files, even though Beyond already told him that he didn't have all of them at his disposal. L gave it a ninety-five percent chance that, when Beyond hacked into the server, he also took the opportunity to remove a few files—those that he hadn't wanted L to read right now.

Feeling his willingness to focus returning, L stepped away from the window and clambered back onto the couch. His laptop was sitting on the coffee table where it had been sitting for the past few days, the monitor showing the open file archive. He was two-thirds of the way done. He had only two more days to finish.

Reaching for his cup of tea, he resumed reading.

* * *

_In Reference to: Elite Construction Project, Stage Two. Original date of entry: January 9, 1995_

_Subject: A & B. Age: both 12 yrs._

_Roger and I have found another potential replacement, and this time I decided to take L with me despite his current workload. From what I was told, it appeared to be a different case than with A and L._

_As opposed to those two, who dealt with their transition into the orphanage with little or no trouble, this new subject was unwilling to talk to Roger or anyone else. Even after being introduced to A, whom we decided to make his roommate under the circumstances, he exhibited behavior that defies even the typical trauma children experience when losing their parents. It is even unsure whether it could have been labeled trauma; he appeared strangely calm._

_I brought L to the orphanage for two reasons: one, so that we could check up on A's progress together, thus giving him a chance to evaluate his future replacements for himself; and two, there was the hope that L would have a better chance at coaxing the child into cooperation._

_After trying to talk to him in mine and Roger's presence and failing, L decided to meet with the child alone. He spent over a quarter of an hour in the bedroom engaged in conversation with him before speaking with us privately in Roger's office downstairs._

_L told us that the child didn't call himself by the name given on his birth certificate. He said the child had taken it upon himself to give himself a new name: Beyond Birthday. As to why, L said the child believed he had the power to see the deaths of those he met beforehand. 'B', as I'll refer to him from now on, said that he had already known when and how his parents would die; that wasn't what he had been upset about. In fact, he hadn't been upset about anything. He had merely been contemplating how this series of events had changed the course of his own fate, and what lay in store for him. This orphanage doomed people to a certain fate, B said. Apparently even L wasn't the exception, as B told him that he would die in a few years' time during a particularly difficult case._

_L did the best he could to calm B down, telling the child about his own personal beliefs, including the fact that the future is not immutable, that it is nothing more than the results of the actions one took in the present time—but apparently this only riled the child up, albeit in a positive manner. The remainder of their conversation had been an intellectual debate concerning matters ranging from theology to physics._

_In the end, however, L accomplished what I had hoped he would accomplish and then some. Despite a few psychological issues, B does in fact have excellent potential, and in many ways he is more like L than A, including the troubling habit of being obstinate. I usually have the final say on who becomes L's replacement, and I had hoped to have the same luxury this time, but this time L overruled my decision. "The most important thing to remember about knowledge is that it is never absolute," he said. "If Beyond believes he has this power, there is no conclusive evidence to say that he doesn't, and nothing else will convince him otherwise." I suppose he is correct in that matter.  
_

_Note: I call Beyond 'B' here as future reference, but Beyond himself hasn't officially been given this title; he places great importance on his name. After much deliberation, L and I reached an agreement: should anything happen to him or A, only then would he be made to adopt his code name._

_As to the matter of A, he is still doing well, but there is concern regarding his recent test scores. In the areas of questioned document examination, forensic pathology, and statistics, his scores have decreased by an average of 27%. Roger suspects he is not dedicating enough time to self-study, which would help him take in the information at his own pace. I told Roger to monitor his schedule more closely and to keep me informed of any improvements or drops in his test scores._

_L and I will be returning to Russia first thing tomorrow._

* * *

At the southern edge of Winchester, an unassuming black car rolled to a stop in front of a small, untidy graveyard. Even though nighttime had long since fallen over the countryside, the front gates had been left wide open; the town was too small, half of the graves already too unkempt and overgrown for anyone to worry about vandalism or some insane cultist digging up cadavers.

Besides, the driver of the car didn't have such an appalling agenda. He would be back here soon anyway, but he felt it proper to take a personal visit first.

He cut the engine and stepped out, holding something in his right hand, and then proceeded to stroll inside.

His footsteps were quiet on the rutted dirt paths winding through the grave sites, the light of the waning moon barely providing the means for him to tread through without tripping on a rock or a small groove in the ground.

After only a few minutes, he found his destination: an isolated plot of land at the eastern corner of a hill. The headstone was small and discrete, no flowers to give any indication that there had been those alive to grieve for the deceased buried here.

Inspecting the area for a few minutes, he knelt down, brushed off a few dead weeds, and placed the item he had brought in front of the headstone.

A box of plain sugar cookies.

The young man pulled his hood away from his head, revealing messy black hair, odd black smears under his eyes masquerading as dark bags that would've naturally occurred due to lack of sleep, severe facial scarring from second- and third-degree burns…and a hint of a sad smile.

"I could never understand you, A. Plain sugar cookies were the sweetest thing you could tolerate. Anything more and you became all jittery and unable to concentrate…hmph. Not that it mattered."

The smile disappeared entirely as he opened the box, took out one of the cookies, and proceeded to eat it.

"Whatever went through your head in the last months of your life…the prospect of handing over your fate to that ignorant fool and his unwitting protégé must have been maddening. I spent years chasing after L, trying to understand his role in all this, but it wasn't until I got to Los Angeles did I finally figure it out—we could never catch L because L was running away from himself. Even when he was standing here during your funeral, he was running. But I finally have him, A, and you'll have the pleasure of witnessing it for yourself."

Beyond paused, then pouted, a contemplative expression frozen on his face.

"Sugar cookies or revenge? Which is the sweeter of the two?"

(End Chapter 12)


	13. One is Missing, Now 12 Knows Why

Title: Silent Consonant

By: Dr. Kim-chan

Author's Note: Well…here we are. Chapter Thirteen. I started this fic three months AFTER all the drama between L and Beyond went down, and we had no idea why L suddenly went missing, so we backtracked. Now, after a month and a half (in real life AND in the story), we'll finally come full-circle. But first, some thoughts.

I've noticed a recurring trend in the reviews; apparently some readers like my "writing style". I didn't know it was such a big deal (and I'm not sure what exactly about it people like), but as a wannabe author in real life, I appreciate the comments; it means I'm improving in my craft. And ZoneRobotnik, sorry I've tormented you so much, but the logs in Chapters 11 and 12 will be _NOTHING_ compared to the ones here.

Finally, to do something I rarely do…in Chapter Ten I was rambling about songs, and for this chapter, the opening lyrics of one particular song resonated so strongly, I decided to add them to set the scene. (Don't panic; this isn't turning into a songfic.)

* * *

_And you don't seem to understand_

_A shame, you seemed an honest man_

_And all the things you hold so dear_

_Will turn to whisper in your ear_

—"Duvet", BoA

* * *

A bit of a chill permeated the hotel room.

Even with the blinds drawn, the late autumn chill pressing on the glass slowly and methodically slipped through. It was as dark inside as it was outside, with the lone exception of a couple of lamps sitting near the loveseat L had been camped out on in the past two weeks. The muted light reflected off of multiple surfaces in a hopeless attempt to drive off the gloom, including Aiber's wine glass and L's pearl-white laptop.

It was mounting up to be a rather strange night.

All day L had stayed quiet. The only thing he ate was a plate of chocolate-chip cookies, complimented by a mug of lukewarm coffee. At some point in the afternoon, Aiber even witnessed a sight rarer than a near-Earth comet: for twenty minutes, L hid his face in his knees, wrapped his arms around himself like a cocoon, and soft, shallow breaths weaved a mellow rhythm in the air as the detective took a short nap. Aiber was so stunned, all he could do was sit and stare.

But for the most part, L spent the time reading the remainder of the logs they swiped from Wammy's House. Wedy had only seen part of the process, but when Beyond sent L his last set of instructions, Aiber's services had been retained, and so he'd been the only one left to watch the disconcerting transformation. At first, L tackled the self-imposed reading marathon with enthusiasm, as he did with most of his cases, but then the initial excitement began to drain away. One day L spent a solid hour meandering around in the hotel room's kitchenette, sent Aiber to a nearby bakery, then ate half a box of strawberry tarts so slowly, anybody who'd been watching him at the time would have thought he was apologizing to each tart before devouring them.

If it was tonight's rendezvous with his enemy he was worried about, Aiber definitely understood the detective's apprehension, and frankly he couldn't understand why he wanted to go through with it.

A sigh interrupted the silence. Aiber looked up from his glass of wine to see that L had taken his eyes off his laptop monitor. Using only one finger, he flipped the device closed.

"It's 12:03."

Aiber arched an eyebrow, then glanced over his shoulder at the digital clock sitting on the nightstand beside the bed. Sure enough, it was three past midnight.

"We should be leaving, then."

L nodded, standing up to slip his ratty tennis shoes onto his feet.

"Just so we're clear, I don't expect him to do anything too drastic—a seventy percent chance. Of course, this leaves the remaining thirty percent. I'm fairly confident I can defend myself, but there's also the possibility he'll have a weapon. That's where you come in."

Aiber grimaced and furtively patted his side; concealed under his suit jacket was a shoulder holster containing a Beretta 92. This was probably the only productive thing L did this week: taking full advantage of his connections in London, he acquired a handgun and matching holster for Aiber to use in self-defense. L seemed to enjoy pushing Aiber's limits, since the con man had a strong aversion to violence of any kind. That was one of the kickbacks of his line of work; if you played your cards right, it was nothing more than an easy score. The most he ever risked were hurt feelings and lost money.

But if this was the type of trouble they were getting themselves into, Aiber griped to himself, L should have made Wedy stay behind instead—she was the better shot, anyway. But in true L fashion, there was a logical reason. Wedy may have been more versatile, but she was also the bigger liability. She also lived further away, and the faster she could jump ship before everything had a snowball's chance of hitting the fan, the better. So, yet again, Aiber was left holding the bag.

"As soon as you hear a shot or a struggle, come running. And I ask that you try to make your shots non-lethal. Enough to stun or incapacitate him, at least."

"Sure, L. I'll try to fire accurately in a dark graveyard," Aiber snapped, walking over to the coffee table and setting down his glass.

"I said 'try'. That's all I expect you to do," L assured. "It's more likely I'll knock him unconscious and run back to the car."

Aiber smirked. "You don't look like the fighting type."

"I figured it would help in emergencies. An acquaintance of mine introduced me to capoeira a few years back."

His hand gripped the doorknob, his thoughts turning to Naomi as the explanation escaped his mouth. It hadn't been too long since he'd been in Los Angeles, and the first of Beyond's clues led the two to work together again on this engrossing mystery.

A's suicide…

Watari's thesis…

Beyond…

The remote server containing the data logs…and the ones Beyond had, still yet to be read by L…

When all the pieces came together, what would the big picture be?

* * *

One eerily silent hour later, the Aston Martin entered the outskirts of Winchester.

Aiber peered out of the windshield, squinting to spot any familiar landmarks; not that it was a good time for sightseeing anyway, but the town was literally in the middle of nowhere. No street lamps illuminated the roads, and well-lit buildings were few and far between. Though he'd visited this area many times already, Aiber hadn't fully committed the streets to memory, and for the first time he was going somewhere _other _than Wammy's House. Fortunately, L knew this little English hamlet very well, and he directed him south past a stone cathedral and about a mile down towards a rolling hill laced at the edges by cast-iron gates.

"Is this the place?" Aiber asked, leaning forward again to get a better look.

"Yes…"

The affirmation was barely finished before they both pulled up to the front entrance and spotted something that probably shouldn't have been there: a black car parked on the other side of the narrow road.

"Yeah, this has to be it. No one else would be here at one in the morning," Aiber grumbled.

He set the parking brake and cut the engine, giving the past month and a half a torturous and abrupt finality for his passenger. However, unperturbed by the sudden stillness, the two unlocked their doors and stepped out, but only one of them leaned against the side of the car and crossed their arms nervously. L lingered for a moment to inspect his colleague's unsettled expression and five o'clock shadow, then set off to enter the graveyard alone.

Shadows peeped out at him everywhere, elongated by the milky-blue glow of the moon. An unidentifiable smell lingered in the air, an ominous potpourri of rusted metal, mold, mildew, and damp earth, but the cold winds were dulling L's senses. Moss-covered headstones formed slightly uneven rows, unknown names and dates chiseled into their surfaces.

It looked different in L's memory.

There, everything was orderly, monochromatic, and quiet. The viewpoint focused on everything from a first-person perspective: children crowded around the sight of a casket being lowered into an open grave…

The viewpoint shook and moved erratically…Roger's face, Watari's…the priest's…the pallbearers'…the other children…

Beyond.

"You're six minutes late."

L's head snapped up as he stopped at the end of one row at the graveyard's eastern edge. A young man cloaked in an oversized black hoodie and jeans sat cross-legged in front of a plainly-decorated headstone. Beyond had spoken to him directly, but his eyes were fixated on an offering placed before the grave. When L stepped closer, he saw that it was a box of sugar cookies, two of which had already been eaten.

For some reason, L felt like he should apologize for being late, and after contemplating it, he did.

"Well, I should be grateful you bothered to come at all," Beyond replied. "Did you read the logs?"

"Yes, and I suppose you having the missing ones."

"Yes."

After glancing at him for a second, Beyond went back to staring at A's grave.

"Do you remember A's funeral?"

"Yes," L said.

"Do you remember what you were thinking at the time?"

L chewed the tip of his index finger thoughtfully. "I can't recall. I don't think I had an opinion about it either way. I met A only once—the same day I met you."

Beyond let out a short hum and began tracing a symbol into the dirt.

"Do you remember _that _day?"

"Yes."

"Me too; you were the first to believe me when I said that I had the power to see others' deaths. I also told you that anyone brought into Wammy's House and made to be one of your successors would have their fates negatively affected. Then you told me people could change their fate, and to look to you as an example…"

Beyond briefly stopped drawing to admire his handiwork in the ground—the letter "L", and the letter "B" written above it.

"I wanted to believe you so desperately. I won't say this power hasn't come in handy, but it's made me a slave to fate, and I'm not a fatalist by any means; on the contrary, I'm an aggressive top. I wanted to believe that I could somehow defeat the stranglehold my power had over my perceptions of life. That desire only strengthened when I became friends with A. I tried not to, since I already held some reservations about his fate, but we were both trying to make the best out of what life gave us, and he too wanted to be able to control his destiny. He worked so hard…only to discover that he'd been playing into fate's hands the entire time. We weren't really masters of our own destiny; we were being made to perpetuate someone else's. In a word, you lied to me, and that is unforgivable, especially to a child."

Beyond began drawing again, but his voice became lower, laced with an underlying tone of resentment.

"Then you showed up at the funeral, which I'm surprised you bothered to do at all. You didn't even tell me personally that I was meant to take on A's burden before you left. That was just how it was supposed to be, and it wasn't going to happen any other way. And if that wasn't insulting enough, you took away my name. I wasn't Beyond Birthday anymore—I was just 'Backup'."

"Is that why you left the orphanage, then?"

"That was one of the reasons. I also figured I wasn't going to sit around and have my life dictated to me, even if fate was the ultimate judge. Back then I was still under the impression that you were destined to die during one of your cases, and while I wanted to prove I was better than you, I didn't want to _become _you. So I planned everything out accordingly, following your every move and using fate to my advantage. And the result? The Los Angeles BB Murder Cases."

"But you lost," L said matter-of-factly.

Beyond chuckled.

"That's what I thought at first. But I learned something after I left Wammy's House, which I wanted to share with you in the event that I ever did lose in Los Angeles. Even then, I didn't think you would go so far as to try and find out, but you did, which is why I told you that you changed your fate by doing so. You chose Misora to be your stand-in, you followed my clues, and you caught me. You did everything so perfectly—it's a shame you didn't see the one glaring mistake you made."

"Mistake?"

Beyond smirked.

"You're childish and hate to lose. That's been your greatest strength and your greatest weakness all these years. But there are times when you _have _to lose if you want to win. A gave up his life, but because of that he freed himself from the path he was forced to take. I was willing to die in Los Angeles, but by doing so I would have won the game. But you always insist on winning, and for that, you _will_ lose."

Beyond reached into the pouch-like pocket at the bottom of his hoodie and took out a jewel case with an unlabeled CD inside. Without a word he stretched his hand out, and L took the jewel case. Taking it as a sign that the meeting was at an end, L placed the jewel case in his jeans pocket and turned to walk away, but before he could take five steps Beyond stopped him. L glanced over his shoulder and was surprised to see a look of genuine sadness and sympathy on his rival's disfigured face.

"A part of me actually wants you to win. It's no longer you versus me, L. It's us versus fate, and fate's the only thing I despise more than you." Beyond chuckled again. "I guess this means I forgive you."

"Forgive me?"

"Like I said, I was angry at you for lying to me at the orphanage, but now that I think about it, I was expecting too much of you. After all, how can someone tell the truth if they themselves have been lied to?"

L continued to stare at him, even as Beyond turned his head away and commenced staring at A's grave.

* * *

_After all, how can someone tell the truth if they themselves have been lied to?_

L remembered that night. He always would.

* * *

Aiber ran a hand through his hair, for once unsure if he wanted to return home or not. Even now, he still considered everything to be nothing but a bizarre dream—or more appropriately, an unfinished nightmare. Even though he'd wanted to leave England as soon as possible and wash his hands of this whole affair, suddenly he felt like he'd been slighted somehow.

He couldn't really be here at Heathrow Airport, he kept trying to convince himself. He couldn't really be returning to Florence, the promise of payment or his future now up in a troubling wind.

That morning, as he woke up, he found his laptop open and turned on, the screen nothing more than a white backdrop with the familiar Old English 'L' displayed against it. After he read the message dropped inside the computer, Aiber immediately went down to the lobby and asked what happened to the guest inside Room 315.

All they knew was that he'd checked out late last night…

* * *

_Aiber, I've left England. I've already arranged for your flight home, and the remaining half of your payment has already been wired to your account. Please do not try to find me, and if anyone should find you and inquire as to my whereabouts or if you've had any recent affiliation with me, tell them nothing._

* * *

_In Reference to: Elite Construction Project, Stage Two. Original date of entry: September 21, 1996._

_Subject: A. Last known age: 14 yrs._

_I've been given some rather troubling news by Roger. It would seem that A has died._

_L and I will immediately return to Winchester tomorrow._

* * *

_In Reference to: Elite Construction Project, Stages Two and Three. Original date of entry: September 23, 1996._

_Subject: A. Last known age: 14 yrs._

_For the last two days, I have been gathering the facts in order to understand the circumstances behind A's death. It is a terrible occurrence, in any case; I didn't believe this project would have such a negative impact on the subjects involved. This also means that A was not as emotionally mature as I thought he was. Then again, most children aren't. Despite this, I will continue to use children. As cited in my thesis, adults cannot be trained to become elites; they have already internalized their own set of beliefs and would insist on total independence, which at this point in their lives they would already have become used to. In addition, the process of "reprogramming" them would be difficult and lengthy at best. It is easier to begin the process with children, though it is a give-and-take situation, particularly with orphans; emotional stability at this stage in life is a rarity._

_As to the matter of A's death…according to the eyewitness accounts of the children who saw what happened at the time, A found his way up to the belfry on the roof of the orphanage, and it would have been described as simply an accidental fall, but a majority of the children agreed that he jumped from the belfry willingly. He'd been up there before, they said, but usually all he would do was sit there. Whether it was for moments of thought or need for isolation, it is not clear, but there may be a correlation between this and his test scores for the last six months. Others who knew him also mentioned that he had become increasingly introverted and unwilling to talk with others, including B, with whom it seemed he was closest to._

_Postmortem examination revealed that the cause of death was head trauma as a direct result of the fall. Other parts of his body—in particular his arms, hands, fingers—were free of any antemortem bruises or scrapes that would have occurred if he'd actively been trying to save himself from falling._

_Considering the evidence, then, I must come to the conclusion that it was a suicide resulting from depression._

_Naturally, this unfortunate event leaves B to become the sole successor of L, and as L and I agreed upon, he will be given his new code name: "Backup"._

_I cannot fathom how much of a negative impact this will have on any future progress I attempt to make in the Elite Construction Project, nor is it clear whether or not B will be negatively affected by A's death. However, as is the case with inventing a device, one must take into consideration the previous failures and apply that knowledge to any future experiments._

_I cannot be certain whether A was depressed before or after his admittance into the orphanage, but I cannot leave anything to chance, and so I will enact a series of changes to the requirements, curriculum, and general treatment of all subsequent subjects in the Elite Construction Project. The first set of changes will be known as "Stage Three" and comprise the "second generation" of L's successors. When or if Roger and I observe no marked changes or cannot find any suitable subjects after a set period of time, I will enact more changes to the project; this second adjustment will be referred to as "Stage Four" and comprise the "third generation"._

_I will continue to communicate with Roger concerning these changes, and now more than ever, I will ask for progress reports concerning B. As for L, he doesn't seem affected by A's death, either, which I expected as much._

_After making my arrangements here, L and I will be returning to the United States and resume work on the Hutchison Bank thefts._

* * *

_In Reference to: Elite Construction Project, Stages Two-Three. Original date of entry: June 12, 1998._

_Subjects: B & L. Ages: 16, 19 yrs._

_My worst fears have been confirmed._

_Today I've been informed by Roger that B has left the orphanage. As with the case with A, signs of deviation from the project were evidence before the event (falling test grades, a decrease in willingness to comply, etc.). No explanation was provided as to why he left, although instinct tells me that, even two years after the fact, the suicide of his friend A may have had a more profound effect on him than we first suspected._

_To add to this inconvenience, while our search for more potential candidates has continued, we have found no one else so far. At this point, L stands alone as the only success, and even him I'm starting to have serious doubts about._

_Instead of viewing himself as an assistant to society, as the ideal elite should do, he is showing strong signs of internalization, viewing himself as someone who must uphold justice at any cost. Paradoxically, though he displays such a strong empathy for his work, he doesn't place any trust in those who work for him. I will not go as far as to label this paranoia, but I fear it will be if this trend continues. He has even gone so far as to take it upon himself to choose which missions he will and won't receive, and though he still follows the risk threshold of ten people or ten million dollars, the consistency in his work is bewildering._

_From today, Stage Two of the Elite Construction Project is terminated. I will initiate Stage Three immediately._

* * *

_In Reference to: Elite Construction Project, Stage Four. Original date of entry: January 2, 1999._

_Subjects: M (Mello) & M (Matt). Ages: 9, 8 yrs._

_Stage Three was terminated after a year of inactivity. However, barely three months into Stage Four, we've found two more candidates._

_As to the first one: pertaining to the subject's initial age at the start of this process, M (also referred to as 'Mello') falls somewhere between A, B, and L, which should make things easier. However, Roger has informed me that he is rather tempestuous and prone to strong displays of emotion, typically anger. However, he is a quick learner and seems to have taken an instant liking to L. Also, interestingly enough, he has a strange fixation with chocolate. Not all sweets; only chocolate. And unlike L, this doesn't stem from a need to accelerate the learning process by providing excess energy._

_Speaking of L, one of the changes I promised I would make beforehand pertained to L's level of interaction with his successors. While still keeping it to a minimum level, L will be more involved in the selection process, to give his successors a solid goal and authoritative figure to aspire to and give them an added sense of structure to their lives. For the most part, I trust his judgment, and I still retain a comfortable level of control over the process._

_There is another candidate aside from Mello, also given the code letter 'M' (Matt), but his test scores barely exceed the minimum. He also doesn't show any interest in being a part of the project whatsoever. However, we will continue to consider him in the future, as he shows promise, particularly in the field of technology, which in this era of rapid technological development is an invaluable trait. He also seems to have befriended Mello, which, as I'm told by Roger, is a feat in itself. This also shows agreeableness and willingness to compromise with various conflicting personalities, so I would also have to guess that he is socially mature even at his young age._

_Overall, I am satisfied with the results thus far._

* * *

_In Reference to: Elite Construction Project, Stage Four. Original date of entry: April 3, 1999._

_Subjects: M & N. Age: 9, 7 yrs._

_A third subject has been found._

_This one we've given the code name of 'Near' (referred to here as N). Unlike Mello, Near is much calmer—if anything, he's the epitome of the opposite extreme of the spectrum, showing no marked interest in social interaction or emotional reaction to typical everyday situations. This may become a future concern, as a complete lack of emotion could indicate anything from repression, a lack of essential social skills, psychological numbing, or other relevant disorders._

_Also, like Mello, Near displays an interest in one particular type of item, though in Near's case it seems to be much more intense than a love for chocolate. Near enjoys toys…no, maybe it is a stretch to say he 'enjoys' them, because he doesn't display any apparent joy even while pursuing these activities. However, the deep concentration he applies to them is remarkable—he'll spend hours at a time constructing complex structures out of such mediums as dice, cards, or dominoes. I suspect Asperger syndrome in this case, but a more extensive assessment will be needed before any definite conclusion can be drawn._

_Despite this—or maybe _because _of this—he shows extremely high intelligence, so much so that there's a significant difference between his and Mello's test scores. I've tried very hard not to apply a ranking system, as it would be detrimental to the project, but if it came down to it, I would prefer Near. The possibility of deviating from my own thesis and initiating a Stage Five 'group elite' hypothesis also came to mind, but in the case of this 'third generation' it would be rather difficult; I'm told Mello and Near do not get along very well, although Matt has attempted—and in some cases, succeeded—in interacting with Near. Like L, Mello has come to regard this as a competition. This has its pros and its cons: he is driven to try harder, but he is confusing the means for the end._

_I'll address the problem at some point in the near future._

* * *

_In Reference to: Elite Construction Project. Original date of entry: July 31, 2000._

_Subject: L. Age: 21 yrs._

_While Stage Four of the project has been proceeding rather well at the orphanage, my concerns grow over my first success, L, and the risks he is willing to take._

_In the past week, that fear intensified as L took it upon himself to accept a case in Los Angeles, California. Authorities have been giving the case various names such as "The Wara Ningyo Murders", "The Serial Locked Room Murders", and so forth. But as compelling as the evidence—or lack thereof—is, there have only been three murders, which is far below the threshold of what is acceptable._

_However, L has been closely monitoring these murders, and he strongly believes that the perpetrator is none other than B, one of the first subjects. He is interpreting the murders as a personal challenge, and if this is so, then I must shamelessly give B his due. This is the type of case that cannot be handled distantly; the crime scenes themselves have to be inspected and looked at with one's own hands and eyes. The cryptic nature of the murders themselves also seems to point to a high intelligence that is on equal level with L's._

_But L has formulated a plan. He has requested all pertinent evidence from the LAPD, then plans to choose a 'proxy' with which he can solve the case. I've implored L to consider the fact that if this is in fact B, it may be a trap, but he is confident in his methods, and that he is partially responsible for putting this matter to rest. "And besides," L admitted, "I am childish and I hate to lose."_

_But I fear this has gone further than simple childishness. L is becoming autonomous much too early in this stage of the project. What of society and their need for an dependable elite?_

* * *

_In Reference to: Elite Construction Project, Stage Five (beta). Original date of entry: March 15, 2001._

_Subject: L. Age: 22 yrs._

_I have stopped and taken some time to consider the course of the project, taking into account the recent events of the Wara Ningyo Murders, which have been solved by L with the help of a female FBI agent. As it so happened, the perpetrator was in fact B._

_But this is no longer a case of who is right or wrong—rather, this has become a case of _what _is right or wrong. While I cannot deny the impact L has had on society thus far, as an individual he is no longer willing to connect with society. Though he claims an internalization of concepts such as justice, it is hardly the goal I envisioned for the elite I talked about in my thesis. Also, his recklessness in the Wara Ningyo Murders has shown a regard solely for pride, and in turn a disregard for his boundaries, traits the elite must not have at all costs._

_But it is still too early to dismiss L entirely, given his positive attributes and all the work I've put into him. However, with Stage Four still progressing well at the orphanage in Winchester, there is no longer a risk of backlash or degradation should worse come to worse._

_I will continue monitoring L as I always have, but at this point, if his behavior continues along in this manner, there is a strong possibility that I will proceed with initiation of Stage Five and look to the three subjects at the orphanage as permanent replacements rather than mere 'successors'._

_As to L himself, considering the severity of his obstinacy, I may have no choice but to forcibly terminate him._

_

* * *

_

(End Chapter 13)


	14. Where Is Our Justice Now?

Title: Silent Consonant

By: Dr. Kim-chan

Author's Note: "…_But I suppose B's purpose is just to show L the truth, which will probably hurt a lot more than anything B could do._"

Bonzai-Bunny summarized Chapter 13 so perfectly, it bore repeating. To be honest, I was expecting a little more from Beyond and L's meeting too, but it just came out that way. Also, I think of Beyond as rather mild-mannered (gruesome murders aside), and I guess he figured that if he'd tried to attack L or anything like that, it would undermine the true purpose of his game—which, by the way, is far from over. In fact, I have a hunch Beyond _can _do a lot worse…henh henh henh...

Anyway, first I should apologize for the delay in updating (though it's awesome timing. _Nine_ days after my last update, which was the _fourth_ of April—April being the _fourth_ month—on the _thirteenth_. I see what I did there…) Secondly, wow! I got such strong responses from last chapter (and now I may be responsible for a few new Watari-haters). I admit; I shed a tear myself. When you really look at it, L, Beyond, and A are people to be pitied, whether or not all of this was actually true.

At this point, if you want to, go back to Chapters One and Two to refresh your memory, because we're finally jumping back to the present time! Whee, no more time-traveling!

* * *

"_Yesterday afternoon, NPA deputy director Koreyoshi Kitamura and head of police Kanichi Takimura held a press conference in order to address what were once regarded as allegations. However, the announcement they made finally confirmed everyone's suspicions: the globally-renowned detective known only as 'L' has indeed gone missing._

"_The issue was discussed at an emergency Interpol meeting a couple of weeks ago, and all the member countries reached a unanimous agreement that they would do their part to assist with the investigation. In accordance with this agreement, each country's highest-ranking law enforcement agency is forming a 'Special Investigations Section for L'. For Japan, the SIS-L will take place within the NPA. Takimura explained that Japan will be in constant communication with all other SIS-Ls as this unprecedented manhunt begins to get underway._

"_Little is known about why L disappeared, but reports state he was first suspected to be missing approximately two months ago. He was last known to be in France, but his current location is unknown. Towards the end of the press conference, Kitamura and Takimura implored anyone who has any information to inquire about the SIS-L at NPA headquarters. Also, Kitamura, Takimura, and their overseas colleagues hope that by openly broadcasting about this high-profile case, this will send a strong message in the event that the detective's sudden disappearance is a result of conspiracy, kidnapping, or any other such heinous crime…_"

* * *

Light stared up at the enormous television screen hovering menacingly over the crosswalk, just one of many Japanese citizens curious and a little bit fearful about what the newscaster had told them.

So it was true then.

L really had vanished.

However, unlike all the others around him, Light already knew it'd been true—this had simply been a matter of confirmation. And so, he walked away amid loud whispering among the crowds in the streets.

After all, he was the son of the de facto leader of Japan's SIS-L.

* * *

Roger reclined in his chair, pondering the events of the past month and rehearsing his words one last time before he spoke to the three boys on the other side of his desk.

One of them, a blond boy clad in simple black clothes, eyed the much older man with narrowed blue eyes. Mello was all too familiar with being called into Roger's office, so he'd been able to tell the difference between the sharp tone of imminent punishment and the somber voice which foretold of potential information regarding his future as L's successor. He also knew something was up because it wasn't just him that had been called in the office.

Sitting on the wine-colored rug next to him was another boy about a year younger than him, a stoic child with flour-colored hair, stacking a small pile of dice into neat towers. If Mello absolutely had to swallow his pride and admit it, Near had a better chance of becoming L's immediate successor. At the very least, he ranked well above what was more or less his only friend at Wammy's House—the third boy in the room, a tall, lanky redhead known as Matt. But even this was of little comfort. Mello knew Matt had the potential to be second; he simply didn't have the drive, reserving all his fanaticism for video games and hi-tech gadgets and simply getting into all sorts of mischief with Mello. He certainly wasn't giving much thought to the gravity of the current situation; his green eyes wandered around the room, only once or twice focusing on Roger's face.

The silence stretched on painfully for another few seconds, longer and longer, until Mello could no longer stand it.

"So? What'd you call us in for?" he demanded, sounding very authoritative for someone his age.

Roger let out an inaudible sigh, barely breaking the stillness of the air, and peered over the frames of his glasses.

"Two months ago, L and Watari were working on a case in France. At some point during the investigation, Watari came to England to take care of a personal matter. When he returned to France, L was no longer at their hotel. We assumed he was still working on the case, but had made a breakthrough and temporarily went undercover, and over a month ago I did receive a call from him to pass along some information to a couple of French agents."

Roger stopped, then continued.

"But as I said, that was a month ago. Neither I, Watari, nor anyone else has heard from him since."

The response was palpable. A slight 'clack' was heard as Near put a dice out of place and accidentally knocked two of them off his finished tower. Mello stormed up to Roger's desk, his face a terrifying mask of disbelief and rage. Even Matt raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"What do you mean, you don't know where L is?! And Watari doesn't know where he is, either?! Is he dead? Was he kidnapped?!"

Roger didn't move once, even with an angry child practically climbing on top of his desk. Instead he looked Mello squarely in the eyes.

"We can't be sure of anything yet, which is why Watari wanted me to wait this long before telling you. However, at this point we must at least confront the fact that we're facing a potentially dangerous situation. Also, there is one other consideration."

Mello glared at him and stepped away from the desk, prepared to hear what Roger was going to say next.

"As we speak, Watari is mobilizing Interpol and conducting a global search—obviously, L could be anywhere, so he has to check everywhere. But as to why he disappeared and who the suspects are, Watari has already made some solid guesses. However, he hasn't divulged these guesses to all the agents involved in the search. He's only told a few of them, and he wanted me to tell you three, and he did so for a number of reasons, one of which I'll tell you soon."

A pause, and some of the ire in Mello began to drain away.

"Watari is directing the search based on four theories. The first is that the arms smuggling group L was investigating in France caught up to him. The second is that the two agents from the DSGE who visited here were actually spies who had somehow garnered L's trust and then turned on him. There's also a slight possibility that if they were spies, then they were also connected to the arms smuggling group, but there's an equal chance they're unrelated—"

For the first time since the conversation began, Near finally felt it prudent to speak up.

"The second theory doesn't sound very strong," he criticized.

Mello didn't say anything, but for once he had to agree with his rival. L wouldn't have let his guard down so easily, even with those he worked closely with. And even if he had gotten into such deep trouble, he would've found any way possible to contact Watari. They would know; L had been trained to work under pressure and deal with high-risk hostage situations, even when he himself was the hostage.

"That's what Watari said, but we still have to cover every possibility, so we're keeping it in mind."

Near's face scrunched up.

"So what is the third theory?"

Roger sighed again. "The third theory is that L isn't even in France at all, but if this theory is true, it may prove to have the worse consequence. Watari discovered that around the same time, in Los Angeles, it was reported that a convict escaped from a California prison."

Mello thought it over for a second, and then the correlation immediately sprung to mind.

And it almost made him sick to his stomach.

"Beyond."

Near glanced up again, this time appearing genuinely curious, and then Mello grimaced at what he'd just said. He knew the story of the Los Angeles BB Murder Cases; it had been told to him by L himself, and Mello counted the story as both a precious keepsake and a personal victory. It was a rare insight into L's life that Near would never have, and at the very least, even if he didn't become L's successor right away, he would have that much to be glad for.

But if L was missing, it wouldn't matter anyway. And Mello wouldn't have to tell him _everything_. All Near needed to know about was Beyond.

"Beyond and another boy called A were L's first successors here at Wammy's House, but Beyond lost his mind after A committed suicide, and he left," Mello explained. "Then, a few years later, he showed up in Los Angeles and murdered three people. By doing so, he tried to create a mystery so difficult even L wouldn't be able to solve it, and the fact that there were only three victims meant that there was little chance L would have gotten involved. But he did, and Beyond was sent to prison."

"So he would want revenge, then," Near said matter-of-factly.

"Most likely," Mello replied, fighting the urge to say "Duh".

"And as I said, if that's the case, we'll have to work fast, though no one's exactly certain how B tracked L down that fast," Roger interrupted. "…But then…there's the fourth theory."

A pause.

"Watari also believes that it's possible L himself orchestrated his disappearance. If we then assume that the French agents were on the up-and-up, and take into consideration the fact that he hadn't bothered to contact Watari, then L doesn't want anyone to find him, and that he's abandoned the case in France altogether. The only question is why he's stayed quiet for so long."

In an extremely rare occurrence, Mello was speechless, so Near challenged that theory on his behalf.

"That's preposterous," the white-haired boy grumbled. "L wouldn't do anything so irresponsible."

"Unless whatever distracted him was just _that _important."

Everyone turned around and gaped at Matt, who finally took the opportunity to talk. It wasn't as if Matt _never _had a deep thought, but he rarely expressed himself as such. He stared back at everyone else before scratching the back of his head absent-mindedly.

"Anyway, what does this have to do with us?" Matt asked, sighing in boredom. "I mean, nobody's really L's successor until he's dead or retired, right?"

Mello winced when Matt mentioned 'dead', but he had a point, so he turned back to Roger for an explanation.

"Well, that brings me back to why Watari is withholding some of this information from those involved in investigating L's disappearance. Not only do more than one of Watari's theories pose the risk of dealing with extremely sensitive details, the search in itself won't be so easy. Usually, one would release something like a picture or some kind of personal information, but of course, this is L. So, if he is to be found right away, Watari has to enlist the assistance of those who are already privy to many of L's secrets."

Roger unfolded his hands and leaned forward.

"Near, Mello, Matt…as of right now, Watari has employed you to assist him with this investigation. We've already taken care of all the arrangements. You leave for Los Angeles in three days."

* * *

Light sighed as he finished his last page of homework. The last few questions always seemed the hardest to solve.

He shifted the book and papers towards the other end of the desk, turned on his computer, and began doing the one thing he'd been looking forward to all day.

Still, it wasn't exactly as if he was enjoying it. After all, he _was _breaching the sturdy but simple security system on his father's computer and peeking into the database he used for official police files. And considering that he wasn't _that _emotionally invested in the case, it made him feel a little bit guilty. Was he justified in his actions?

Light paused—partly because he had to recall the password necessary to get into the system—then steeled himself again in order to carry out the task ahead.

Then again, he reasoned, it was his father's own fault for letting open the floodgates that evening at dinner, the night Light first overheard the rumor at cram school. He didn't get much more information out of his father after that, but he didn't have to—Soichiro _had _been out of the country for a couple of days in order to attend an Interpol meeting on the NPA's behalf. Once Light confirmed that the meeting was the same as the emergency meeting which sparked the formation of the SIS-L, all he had to do was wait and follow the NPA's every movement.

The second he remembered the password, his fingers flew across the keyboard again, and the database revealed itself on the monitor. His eyes looked over the links, randomly clicking one after the other and speed-reading through the data.

Nothing yet…

Nothing yet…

A list of possible locations…

Mug shots of strangers…

After clicking on the ninth link, Light's eyes flew open, and he began reading quietly to himself.

"_Special Investigations Section for L, Los Angeles Branch…convict escaped from the California State Prison in Corcoran. Possible connection to L's disappearance, currently investigating…in reference to the "Wara Ningyo Murders" of 2000-2001…key player in the murder case, former FBI agent, Naomi Misora, is currently in Japan with fiancé Raye Penber, a current FBI agent who is on leave. Current objective is to locate Misora, bring her in for questioning, and relay all information to the Los Angeles Branch of the SIS-L…_"

* * *

Aizawa made an impatient humming sound as he parked the car at a distance from the street corner where the hotel was located. On the passenger's side, his partner Ukita rolled down the window before taking out a pack of cigarettes, picking one out, and lighting it. Aizawa glanced past his shoulder, but didn't think much of it. He was more than used to Ukita's lung-killing habit, and at least now he had the courtesy to roll down the window. Back when they were first starting out, Ukita had no qualms whatsoever about passing along his secondhand smoke to the nearest person.

Besides, Aizawa knew it was just the stress of their current assignment getting to him, and he couldn't blame Ukita one bit.

Aizawa and Ukita were just two of the handful of detectives and officers handpicked from the rest of the NPA to be members of Japan's Special Investigations Section for L. Created barely more than a week ago, they were now charged with finding a missing person—but this wasn't just any missing person.

It was the so-called "world's greatest detective".

After Kitamura entrusted their chief, Soichiro Yagami, with leading the SIS-L, Watari held a massive video conference and briefed every group across the globe on every detail he knew. Watari himself had stationed himself at the FBI's Los Angeles field office, where the FBI established one of its two SIS-L branches. He was there solely because, as he mentioned at the Interpol meeting, his instincts told him that L was probably there. Even then, they had to cover all their bases.

As it turned out, Japan happened to be one of those bases.

Further investigation revealed that a potential key witness was currently vacationing in the country with her fiancé, who also happened to be an FBI agent. However, as important as this case was, information still traveled rather slowly. They had to be sure she hadn't already returned to America.

And thus, the beginning of an extensive stake-out.

Aizawa leaned on the steering wheel as Ukita took another drag from his cigarette and blew in the direction of the open window. The weather today was morbidly cloudy, chilly and slightly windy—perfect for sweeping away the odor of ash.

"Seems a waste of time, don't you think?" Ukita asked irritably. "If Misora's on their way back to America, even if Matsuda makes it to Narita Airport on time, they might as well let her return."

"Well, as long as she's here, that means she's under our jurisdiction, so we're the ones who have to take the statement from her. Besides, if she knows L, she could also know where he is right now, and we can't afford to wait to find out."

Ukita leaned forward slightly to take another glance at the hotel in the distance.

"This whole 'L' thing's got me a bit nervous, too," he muttered. "I didn't know he was _this _worthy of our time. I mean, if _we're _ever in trouble, he only steps in when he damn well feels like it. And we're supposed to bust our asses for _him_?"

Aizawa shrugged.

"Well, it's out of our hands now. Right now let's just focus on tracking down this Misora woman. Besides, if he isn't here, then we won't have much to do except sit back and see who gets to him first."

As Ukita grunted his assent and took another drag of his cigarette, Aizawa's eyes stayed focused on the trickling stream of guests coming in and out of the hotel lobby doors.

A couple…but it wasn't the engaged FBI agents they were looking for. A young girl, looked like a teenager…a businessman rushing out to catch a taxi…a ruffled young man in jeans and dirty tennis shoes…

A black-haired man in a brown coat…

"Hey. Is that Raye Penber?"

Aizawa sat up straight, took another look, and rifled through the manila folder tucked between the armrest and the driver's seat until he found a picture the Los Angeles FBI faxed to their office yesterday. He held it up to the dashboard at eye-level and made a quick but skillful comparison.

"It's a match," Aizawa confirmed. "That's Penber, all right."

"I'll be damned," Ukita said. "So they're still here, after all." He chuckled. "I guess Matsuda made the trip to Narita for nothing."

Aizawa rolled his eyes and reached into his pocket for his cell phone. "Let's call the chief and see what he wants us to do."

* * *

Naomi checked the temperature of the bath water with her fingertips, still fully clothed. After Raye returned from the bakery a few blocks over, they would make another trip to her parents' house, then tomorrow they were set to return to Los Angeles, their marriage date now closer than ever.

But even all this couldn't help her shake off the feeling of gloom that had come over her lately.

Nearly two months after L and Beyond left Los Angeles to continue their extremely complex game elsewhere, news reports suddenly began to break out concerning the disappearance of L. The fear that struck her chest when she first heard that report was almost twice as severe as when she heard that Beyond had broken out of prison. To make matters worse, she knew the two events were definitely related.

Then was uncovering some sort of truth the only objective Beyond really had?

Or had he hidden a darker desire under all those clues?

Between her thoughts and the rush of the water coming from the tap, Naomi barely heard the knock at the door. She frowned, at first thinking she had imagined it, but when it happened again she turned off the water and strolled out of the bathroom. Raye couldn't have been that forgetful as to leave behind his wallet; that was all he needed to go to the bakery. Maybe it was room service.

"Hello, who is it?" she called out.

"_It's Ryuuzaki._"

Naomi breathed in sharply through her nostrils.

"Ryuuzaki?" she whispered to herself.

"_If you want proof that I am Ryuuzaki, then we'd have to go to another hotel…the Omni Hotel, most likely._"

Code language. It couldn't be anyone else.

She opened the door.

In front of her stood a disheveled young man in a white T-shirt, wrinkled jeans, and tennis shoes that looked as if they would break apart at any moment. His messy black hair and dark bags under his eyes spoke the truth.

And yet…there was something different about him…

"L?" Naomi asked again, mostly out of disbelief.

L shook his head slowly, and looked at her with a stoic face.

"Please, call me Ryuuzaki. Until I feel it necessary, I think it's best if I'm no longer called 'L'."

(End Chapter 14)


	15. Four Hours

Title: Silent Consonant

By: Dr. Kim-chan

Author's Note: Cheers to you, too, Ithil! (raises her cup of tea) And to answer your question, wednesday1990, I'm as lost as you are. I have a few ideas I want to use, but for the most part I just make educated guesses about what happens next based on what I came up with in previous chapters and/or what would make more sense. Light WILL be taking a more active role, I know that much; I wanted to stay committed to that since the beginning (more or less the reason why I didn't put Naomi and Raye back in L.A).

I'm also seriously debating about whether or not to involve anyone else, namely Misa, Mikami, Takada, etc. Some of them obviously wouldn't make much sense, but it'd be an interesting challenge to make their fates intertwine even with the absence of the Death Note. For instance, Light may have never got the Death Note, but would it have stopped the actions of Gelus and Rem…?

Well, let's leave that to later. I already have L, Light, Naomi, Raye, Watari, Near, Mello, Matt, and the entire task force to worry about…

* * *

11:14 AM.

"You know, technically this is kidnapping. I don't think I have to tell _you _this, but leaving without any reason, not calling him or leaving any note…Raye's going to worry himself out of his mind when he gets back to the hotel room. And he already knows the current situation about you and Beyond…well, as much as the public knows…"

"That's exactly why I'm doing it."

Naomi raised an eyebrow, too stunned to react to L's strange—and if she wasn't mistaken, emotionally charged—response. But no emotion revealed itself on his face. His half-lidded eyes were firmly fixed on the road and the other motorists in front of him, his long, willowy fingers gripping the steering wheel. For a moment, Naomi even had to marvel at L's new sitting position. While one of his legs was folded up as per his traditional sitting method, the other foot faithfully stayed on the accelerator. As they approached the occasional stoplight, the two made lightning-fast switches—the foot on the accelerator went up, and the leg that was up slid down to hit the brake.

But awkward methods aside, he handled a car better than most of the agents Naomi had become acquainted with when she was in the FBI.

Whatever the case, it seemed he wasn't going to divulge any details until they reached their destination, so Naomi said the only thing she could say.

"I didn't know you could drive," she murmured softly, resting an arm on the window ledge. "You seem like the type who has someone do their driving for them."

"Well, as you can see, I'm more than capable of driving. I'm also certified for helicopters, light watercraft, and small planes, but I don't do so unless it's an emergency. And yes, you're right. I _did _used to have someone drive for me…"

He paused to take a slow, deliberate breath.

"But I'm afraid I've been left no choice now."

* * *

2:29 PM.

Matsuda pulled up to the front entrance of the NPA building and cut the engine, a little disappointed. He had nearly arrived at the turn-off to head for Narita Airport when he got the call from Soichiro to return. Apparently, Raye Penber and Naomi Misora were still in the city. For how much longer, though, they weren't sure.

Still, he didn't have too much to complain about. Out of all the SIS-Ls in the world (and given that L was last seen in France and also possibly thought to be in Los Angeles), it was the Japan Branch that ended up with one of the case's most promising leads. How exciting it would be, Matsuda thought, if it was Japan that ended up finding L. And if that was supposed to be a reality, Matsuda was willing to do anything to prove his worth. He didn't have much of a choice, really; the guilt over being chosen to be a part of the Special Investigations Section for L simply because he had accompanied the chief to the initial Interpol meeting was a little too much to bear, especially when the likes of Aizawa and Mogi were also in the group.

Breathing in the cold winter air and making sure he had everything, he stepped into the building's spacious foyer, trying to recall where exactly he was supposed to report to.

Then it completely escaped his mind.

"Look, my fiance's missing! Isn't there _anyone_ here I can talk to?"

At the front desk, a dark-haired man in a brown trench coat was quietly, but passionately, accosting one of the secretaries behind the desk. It did seem to be a slow day, Matsuda pondered as he looked around the building…

Then…

Matsuda squinted, blinked, then hurriedly reached inside one of his pockets to pull out a couple of wallet-sized photos—one of a man and one of a woman.

He looked at the photo of the man, then looked up.

He wasn't hallucinating. Raye Penber was right in front of him.

…But did he just say that his fiancé was missing?

* * *

2:45 PM in Japan. 10:35 PM the previous evening in Los Angeles.

In a dim-lit room in the FBI field office, an elderly man sat at a lone desk in the back, managing case data and maintaining communication with various officials on multiple computers. He had the entire office to himself, but it wasn't entirely because he was guarding himself against potential turncoats; a few higher-ranking agents and FBI superiors had unrestricted access to the room. It simply boiled down to the fact that, although he was perfect for leadership, he didn't do so well in groups.

Among the dozens of simultaneous events he was overseeing, one of them was Roger arranging the journey for L's three current successors: Near, Mello, and Matt. They would catch a flight with escorts from Britain's MI5 from London to New York City. There, a new set of handpicked government agents would carry them the rest of the way to Los Angeles.

Setting aside a few files, he dove back into a remote server, passing all the necessary firewalls, created a new blank text file, then began writing down his current thoughts and observations.

* * *

_In Reference to: Elite Construction Project, Stage Five. Original date of entry: December 17, 2004._

_Subjects: L, Mello, Matt, Near. Ages: 25, 14, 13 yrs._

_As I stated a while ago, Roger and I have decided to go ahead and initiate Stage Five of the project, a step I thought I wouldn't have to take so soon._

_This whole affair has been a terrible inconvenience, and should anything be compromised in the process of investigating this case, the chances of finding and training future subjects at the orphanage will grow dangerously slim. The project itself may have to be stopped…and I cannot let that happen under any circumstances. It would be too great of a sacrifice._

_Given what has transpired over the past two and a half months, I'm almost certain that B had a hand in L's disappearance. However, I doubt L is dead. Knowing B, I don't think he would do anything so drastic, neither would L allow himself to let down his guard so easily._

_But the consequences may be worse than death._

_I have no hard evidence, but going on circumstantial evidence alone, I have reason to believe B released classified data concerning my project to L, including my observations of L's future prospects after the Los Angeles BB Murder Cases, and L acted on his emotions. If this is true, L may be lying low to observe my actions in order to validate this, and on that note we seem to have reached an impasse. The fact that I mobilized Interpol so soon and on such a great scale will probably make him more suspicious of my motives. Likewise, the fact that he fled instead of confronting me directly tells me everything I need to know about L's state of mind. It seems that although he displayed a deep internalization of upholding law and order, the one thing he valued more was control over his own life. He worked hard to be a success only because he found comfort in the thought that he had free rein over what he could do with his newfound responsibility as a detective._

_But to value your own wishes over the world's needs is the greatest mistake an elite can make, and one that has been made repeatedly by others in history—nothing more than arrogance and selfishness. Even if L does eventually return of his own free will, though I could try to convince him otherwise, it may not be enough._

_Sadly, at this point, once L is found, he will immediately be replaced by his three successors, and day by day, termination looks to be the most prudent plan of action…_

* * *

A beep sounded off. Watari glanced up from one of the monitors to see that, on another one, a web cam user was requesting communication. He gave it permission, and a browser window opened, showing a higher-ranked agent in another office on the other corner of the building.

"_Sir, there's been a development._"

"Where?"

"_In Japan, sir._"

"Have they found Misora and Penber?"

"…_Actually, Penber went directly to the NPA himself. About an hour ago, he reported his fiancé to be missing. They had been staying at a hotel in the city, and he left that morning for a brief time. When he returned, she wasn't there. She left her cell phone and all her belongings in the room. They were visiting her relatives, but when Penber called them, they told him they haven't received a call from her or seen her._"

Two possibilities automatically sprung to Watari's mind. The first was that they had a third-party interloper who didn't want L to be discovered by any means (which also led to the presumption that L was still alive). Of course, this was unlikely.

What _was_ possible was that L himself was that third-party interloper.

He and Misora had worked together in the past; there was nothing to prevent Watari from believing that, in his desperation, L probably sought out her aid again. Who else would have figured out she was in Japan on such short notice?

"I see…"

"_Should we assume that L's case is also a matter of kidnapping, then? The timing of this coincides too perfectly._"

Watari paused, as if he was giving it serious consideration, but his mind was already made up. He already knew L took himself off the radar on purpose, so the possibility of Misora's disappearance being a case of kidnapping was very unlikely—if one wanted to formally call it a "kidnapping". L might have also intended this as a personal challenge, as if to say "I took one of your trump cards. Now what are you going to do?" And if that was so, though Watari would usually let by-gones be by-gones, you could only push the British gentleman so far.

However, for the purposes of maintaining the integrity of his project, he had to make the SIS-L act under the assumption that an uninvolved third party was responsible for L, and now Misora as well. Once Near, Mello, and Matt arrived, Watari would finally be able to conduct a separate investigation, and once L was found, everyone would be left unaware of the detective's true fate. Until then, he had to balance things very carefully. Besides, even he couldn't be entirely confident in his theories. There was also the very small percentage that Beyond wasn't involved at all.

But even then, L's future remained uncertain.

"Have the SIS-L Japan Branch look into Misora's disappearance and retain Penber as a key witness," Watari instructed. "We may also request his assistance with L's case, as well. If I'm not mistaken, Penber works with this field office, correct?"

"_Yes._"

"After you speak with Mr. Yagami, get in contact with Mr. Penber and officially install him as a member of the Los Angeles Branch of the SIS-L. I'm also requesting that he be allowed to stay in Japan so that he can work alongside the NPA. I'll cover the cost of his lodgings."

"_Understood._"

* * *

"_I can't really explain the situation in its entirety, partly because I myself am not absolutely sure what is going on, and I hope to discover the true forces at work when all is said and done. Also, if what I suspect turns out to be true, it would put you at risk if I fail to execute this plan successfully. That said, I hope this doesn't prevent us from working together."_

"_Well, I'm still not sure how 'kidnapping' me has to do with it, but you don't do anything for trivial purposes; that much I know. And I'd like to be given at least a little credit. It wasn't that long ago that I left the FBI; I'm used to working under superiors with ulterior motives. To be honest, L—"_

"'_Ryuuzaki'."_

"_Sorry…Ryuuzaki…I don't know why you keep running to me. I'd think that being a world-famous detective, you have a lot more at your disposal. Even in the Wara Ningyo Murders, I was off-duty at the time. I didn't even have a gun."_

"_Another reason why I asked for your help. It's been my experience that it's better to work with those who have nothing to gain from involving themselves with me. Also, you can see how people really operate when they're not under any superior's eye and don't have to follow proper procedure."_

_L paused and stared up at the ceiling, eyes glazed. Twenty awkwardly silent seconds passed, and Naomi was about to snap him out of it when his head bent down, a new spark of resolution in his face._

"_Let's go over the plan," he said sharply._

_His sudden change in temperament confused Naomi for a second, but she shook off her own ominous feelings and leaned in to listen. However, L didn't speak right away. He climbed out of his armchair and walked into the next area, where for about a minute or so, Naomi heard a lot of unzipping, rustling sounds, and short, thoughtful hums. He then came back into the sitting room with an armful of electronic gadgets, including yet another cell phone, a web cam, a portable voice-changer, a microphone, and a high-powered jet-black laptop. One by one, he set them down on the coffee table in front of the curious woman. He also had a padded envelope full of various documents, badges, and cards. Only then did L return to his chair and began explaining himself._

"_As I've said before, I can't be referred to as 'L' anymore, but for this plan to work even my temporary name 'Ryuuzaki' will have to be used sparingly."_

_Naomi nodded._

"…_And I can't call you Naomi Misora, either."_

_Naomi's eyes widened. "Huh?"_

_L cradled his shins again._

"_You said in the car that your fiancé will react immediately when he discovers you've gone missing, and I'm counting on that. Naturally, one of the first places he'll go to is the NPA, where the Japan Branch of the SIS-L is located. If my hunch is right, they'll take him extremely seriously, not just because it's a missing-persons case, but because it's _you_ who's missing."_

"_Me?"_

"_If they're looking for me, they've covering all the bases, including everyone who associated with me at one time or another, so they'd also want to talk with you, so they should have also figured out by now that you came here."_

"_I see…" Naomi murmured._

"_And obviously, they'll connect your disappearance with mine. As to who's responsible for all this, they may be thinking it's a third party, so we'll use that to our advantage. That's when another detective will approach the SIS-L and offer their services."_

"_Who?"_

_L glanced up._

"_You."_

* * *

Even an hour after that conversation, she still couldn't entirely digest what she'd been told. As if being chosen personally by L to help him investigate the Wara Ningyo Murders weren't enough, she'd just basically been told that she was about to act as L's substitute.

L's plan was for Naomi to approach the SIS-L as a Japanese private investigator named Mitsuko Ona, otherwise known as 'O'. Claiming to be a former acquaintance of L's, she would offer the SIS-L her services as they worked to find both L and Naomi.

Naomi's first reaction was understandable; wouldn't it be a bit suspicious that someone who claims to be a former friend of L suddenly shows up around the same time Naomi goes missing? But L already thought of that. Through pulling all kinds of strings, he "validated" Mitsuko Ona's identity in the case that they did more digging on her past—that had been a majority of the items in the padded envelope, including a credit card, ID, and forged citizenship papers.

But one question still remained. Why were they going through all this trouble?

"Are you going to eat that?"

Naomi jumped a little, startled, then peered over the document she was reading. L was still nestled in his chair, a crumb-littered saucer beside his laptop. He had been working furiously on his laptop, but now he was staring longingly at Naomi's untouched piece of angel-food cake.

"You can have it. I'm not really hungry."

No further words needed, L pushed his laptop aside and crawled across the coffee table, his toes gripping the edge of his chair, grabbed Naomi's dish, then made the journey back to his seat. Naomi flinched and shuddered slightly, because for a moment his ungainly movements reminded her of Beyond crawling back and forth around Backyard Bottomslash's house.

…Beyond.

She raised her eyebrow and put down the document. Her glare must have been a bit too strong, as L immediately said, "If you want your piece of cake back, it's too late."

"What? No…Ryuuzaki…I think I know why you took yourself off the radar. This has to do with the thesis we found at UCLA, doesn't it?"

L said nothing, his face perfectly blank, but this only made Naomi more tenacious.

"Before he left, Beyond showed up in my apartment and said that he had more evidence to show you. Was it something you discovered that you're trying to find out right now? Was Beyond even telling the truth when he led you out of L.A.? You said he would take a more active role soon; maybe his true purpose was to lead you into a trap—"

Naomi's outspoken train of thought was interrupted by L abruptly getting up from his chair and picking up two empty dishes. His eyelids were a little lower than half-lidded, all sentient shine taken out of his dark eyes.

"I appreciate your skills, Misora, but I think you should wait to exhibit your talents until you introduce yourself to the SIS-L."

The ensuing silence cracking painfully between them, L retreated into the kitchenette.

(End Chapter 15)

Author's After Note: I have never done this before, but there was a little detail in here that I put so much thought into, I wanted everyone else to appreciate the "joke" behind this as well.

I didn't want to take the cheap route and use the same alias Naomi used in the actual manga/anime ("Shouko Maki"), so I made another one. The last name, Ona, is from the Japanese characters meaning "many" and "name(s)", and Mitsuko is from the characters meaning "secret" and "child" ("ko" is also a common suffix for women's names). All together, Mitsuko Ona roughly means "secret child with many names".

Also, if you write it Japanese style (last name first), then the name is Ona Mitsuko. Written that way, you can see that the first five letters are a (rather lazy) anagram of "Naomi".

The last name by itself is a pun on the Japanese word "on'na", which means "woman", which was the title of the Death Note manga chapter that further introduced Naomi into the story. And of course, the codename 'O' is a more obvious reference, but she won't use an Old English-font 'O'. She'll use the hiragana symbol instead.

Yeah, I have nothing better to do than to mess with people's minds…


	16. Too Many Detectives Spoil the Fun

Title: Silent Consonant

By: Dr. Kim-chan

Author's Note: I hope L and Naomi _can _work together, what with him being moody and all—then again, I can't blame him. If my life turned out to be just an experiment and someone wanted to kill me and replace me on the spot, I'd be pretty pissed, too.

But I'm going off on a tangent. I have nothing to say today, so let's just start the chapter…and not to give anything away, but Ithil, if you thought you wanted to slap B before, you're _really _not going to like him after this…

* * *

Watari walked into one of the main conference rooms, heading straight for the podium and its built-in computer at the front of the room. Gathered here were the members of the Los Angeles Branch of the SIS-L, who only took up one-fifth of the seats. Laptops stationed at the desks were turned on and attuned to various web cams streaming live to the offices of all the other SIS-Ls.

As he approached the podium, Watari immediately began the meeting.

"Two days ago, the Japan Branch received a message from someone claiming to have been acquainted with L in the past. They sent me a copy of her message last night. In it, it appeared she was speaking directly to me, and informed me that she did not want to release any further details until she was able to communicate with all others involved in this case. She also gave the time and date she would send another live message, which should be in approximately four minutes."

A slight mutter rippled throughout the conference room, and a question came up.

"Did she at least give a name?"

"No. I assume that will be a part of the live message she'll release."

"Do we even have it on good authority that she really worked with L before? The timing between this message and Naomi Misora's disappearance is too fortuitous. This could be the kidnappers in disguise!"

"We cannot confirm that until we hear the message. However, even if it is a ruse, we cannot act immediately on that hunch. First we have to see exactly how much they know, and how much information they're willing to release," Watari explained. "I'd also like to warn our overseas delegates that there may be a lag in time, so some may receive the message a little later than others, but this shouldn't be a major concern…"

A beep interrupted him. He looked down to see an outside user requesting passage through the firewall.

"We're about to receive the message. Everyone…"

The room went silent, and Watari patched the user through.

The monitor was suddenly overtaken by a midnight blue background, the Japanese hiragana symbol for 'O' at the center in neat brush script, which was instantly projected onto the screen behind Watari, and a garbled voice came through the room's speakers.

"_This is a two-way channel, so I can safely assume I'm currently speaking to the SIS-L. My name is Mitsuko Ona. The fact that I'm speaking to you right now must mean you took my plea seriously, or at least wanted to know what I had to offer. In that case, I should first explain why I want to get involved. Three years ago there was a major art fraud scheme operating in America and Japan. I was working on the case a month before L got involved; I was employed by a banker who lost out on a bid in which some of the forged paintings was sold. Because my employer didn't want to lose face, I operated independently with a similar MO as L, which I presume was why L chose to work with me when he followed a tip to Japan. You could say I owe a debt to him._"

"When did you first hear about his disappearance?" Watari asked.

"_The same time the global broadcast came out about a week ago. It's no secret L works on high-profile cases; he only lets others help him when it's absolutely necessary, then you either go on with life and ask no more questions or risk your neck. Up until now I opted to go the first route, but when I heard about L I started to do some digging. But that didn't really do any good until I heard about Misora on the local news._"

That was true enough. After the Japan Branch received all the necessary information from Penber, they released a local statement, but didn't correlate it with the L case.

But then that left an important question to be answered.

"How did you come to learn about Misora's connection with L?"

"…_L once said I reminded him of a woman he worked with in another case—the Los Angeles BB Murder Cases, if I'm not mistaken._ _Also, two major abductions in two months sound suspicious, don't you think? The broadcast said L was last seen in France. If you then assume the kidnappers aren't native to Japan, why would they go through all this trouble to come for Misora? Better yet, how did _they _figure out her connection to L and where she was? So either the kidnapper is Japanese or lives in Japan, the kidnappers are part of a syndicate with local connections here, or someone's getting their intel directly from the SIS-L._"

"…I see you put much thought into this," Watari said after a brief pause. "Well then, please take no offense, but if we may take a moment to verify everything you've told us—"

"_I understand. I'll contact you via the NPA again tomorrow._"

* * *

"_Henh henh henh henh!_"

A loud, harsh cackle echoed throughout the mostly empty apartment. A young man with messy black hair rolled around the floor in glee in front of a laptop, greatly amused by the data he recently acquired. There was barely anyone in the other surrounding apartments to complain about the raucous laughter, but Beyond was the type of person who hardly gave concern to the opinions of others around him.

"_Henh henh henh…! Hee…heh heh…_"

Gradually, his laughter trickled down to small, hoarse gasps for breath as he rolled around and righted himself back to a sitting position, like an inflatable clown.

"…'Mitsuko Ona…asked to assist in the search for L's disappearance…allegedly worked with L on an art fraud scheme three years ago…has displayed a comprehensible knowledge of L's personal methodology and his past cases, namely the Wara Ningyo Murders in Los Angeles four years ago'...henh henh henh!"

Beyond's smile grew even larger as he dipped his fingers in a jar of strawberry jam.

"This has you written _all _over it, Naomi Misora! I bet L made you do this, too. How sad. Is this the best he can do? I guess what he found at Wammy's House was more traumatic than I thought."

He traced his sticky fingertips with his long tongue, smacking his lips loudly before arranging them into a childish, yet thoughtful pout.

"Misora was a great substitute, but can she be L himself? Even if she pulls this off, will Misora end up like L? Like me? Like A? This is too easy. Misora should be given a greater challenge, but the only one who can test her is L…and L, I'm assuming, no longer wants to be L."

His pout transformed into a full-fledged frown.

"I'm forced to get involved earlier than I thought I would. Not that I don't mind—in fact, it should be quite fun. But I'm disappointed, L. You still don't want to believe Watari's betrayed you. What's worse, you got Misora mixed up in all this. She had nothing to do with our little game anymore. In fact, you should've stopped playing the game in the first place. Are you prepared to pay the penalty?"

Beyond rocked back and forth on his back as he collapsed into frightening peals of laughter again.

"So B gets to be L after all! _Henh henh henh henh!_"

The irony was too rich for him, and this particular laughing fit lasted for an entire three minutes before he was struck with a sudden thought and pulled himself upright again, switching from gleeful to dead-serious in three seconds flat. He hunched over the computer again and began typing, surfing through various search engines and another sector of the NPA's vast database.

"It seems someone else wants to play detective, too…he keeps showing up at the hotel where Misora was staying. But he can't play; there's not enough room on the playing field. But we can still put him to good use, can't we?"

* * *

Light was usually one to be tidy, but the stacks of paper strewn about the foot of his bed told a completely different story.

Copied on the notebook paper were well-organized lines of notes taken from the data he memorized from reading the continually updated database in his father's computer. Mixed with the notes were paper print-outs of a few mug shots, which he looked over from time to time.

As the days passed, the momentum of his last year at high school was both winding down and gearing up in a strange paradox. In a few more weeks' time, he was slated to take the To-Oh University entrance exams. However, all the studying required hardly seemed necessary. His cram school teachers were simply going back to the basics for all the other students taking entrance exams elsewhere, and reviewing the fundamentals was hardly what Light needed. Still, it wasn't as if he could slack off. Another mock test was scheduled for next weekend, and this one would go more in-depth into one of his few weaknesses—world history. Light never saw much appeal in examining the "mistakes" humankind had made over the ages. He was progressive, someone who wanted to take charge of the future while shunning the so-called errors of the past.

Even if he had an interest in history, it was a surprise he had time to study at all. Over the past week, his curiosity concerning L gradually turned into something of an obsession. As if it was another one of his school assignments, Light collected the evidence and examined all of the clues in order to get a better understanding of what was going on. He never took all this to school with him, but in the evening hours he holed himself up in his room—no different than when he committed himself to studying. Also, whenever he had time to, he spent a couple of hours wandering the city for more clues, scoping out both the NPA building and the hotel where Naomi Misora was last seen.

He couldn't explain why he was letting himself be drawn in like this. Sure, he helped with that robbery case, but this was way beyond a high-school student's capabilities. Relief from boredom was certainly a part of it, but it was more than that. There was something about the missing detective that touched something within him and made it resonate. He always viewed L as the one person in this world with the ability to change society. Why did he throw away that opportunity?

Maybe…it was fate.

Light rearranged his legs into an Indian-style position and picked up the piece of paper that held the latest developments. Apparently, almost immediately after Misora went missing, a private investigator named Mitsuko Ona offered to help find L, and just today they decided to accept her offer. But it wasn't official yet. She would be sending another video message to the SIS-L today to hear their verdict.

Light sniffed disapprovingly as he looked over the data.

"This is obviously a hoax. The timing's too convenient. Anyone can pretend to be a detective if they have the resources, and if these are the same guys who kidnapped L, they could definitely pull this off. What makes it more suspicious is that Ona hasn't shown her face in person…"

He flopped down onto the mattress, the piece of paper still in his hand.

"But that could be exactly what they're counting on…using the lack of direct communication to their advantage and seeing exactly what she knows. Something still isn't fitting into the overall puzzle, though…"

Just as his head flopped over onto his left cheek, he heard his mother knocking on the door.

"Light? Sorry to disturb you. I got a call from your father. It seems as if he'll be at the office all night again. Would you mind taking him some food and a change of clothes?"

"Yes, Mom," Light called back.

"Thank you. I'm setting the bag near the front door, all right?"

"Okay."

He heard her footsteps retreating, and he looked back at the clock on his desk.

5:28 PM.

* * *

10:15 PM.

"Well, it looks like they'll accept your offer."

Naomi sighed, keeping her eyes glued to her own laptop while L infiltrated the NPA database on his own laptop. The TV in the far corner of the room was tuned into a news channel, the voice of the reporter droning on about regional affairs before they moved on to the weather. Right now, the duo was preparing everything for this evening's online meeting with the Japan Branch of the SIS-L. What happened after tonight would be some of the riskiest couple of moves they would make.

"I suppose that means I was convincing."

"Perhaps, but also keep in mind that they're taking no chances, and I admit, we may have acted too soon," L warned. "They may just be playing along to see who we really are, but if that's the case, then we're already a step ahead. Is your backdrop set up?"

"Yes. I'm connecting the voice modifier now."

L gave an affirmative hum, his eyes still on his monitor. As she juggled multiple wires, Naomi kept a wary gaze on him.

The detective had been more or less himself since his unexpected outburst the day she tried to pry into what L did after he and Beyond left Los Angeles. She still held a bit of resentment, though. She never asked to be involved with L and his archrival—certainly not to this extent. But as long as she was, didn't she have a right to know what she was risking her life and engagement for?

"…_We interrupt regular programming for a breaking news story. About an hour ago, the Japan Branch of the Special Investigations Section for L received a couple of disturbing video messages relating to their case._"

Naomi immediately turned her head to the screen, and L clambered out of his seat and strolled over to the TV in order to turn up the volume.

"_NPA deputy director Kitamura, head of police Kanichi Takimura, and SIS-L Japan Branch leader Soichiro Yagami recently released a statement saying that the first video instructed them to play the accompanying video on all news stations as soon as they could. We are about to play the video now…_"

The studio's camera switched off, and everything was abruptly overtaken by a solid black backdrop…with a white, Old English-font 'L' right at the center.

"That's…!" Naomi began to exclaim, but L held up his hand, wanting to listen closely to what was about to be said.

"_This is a warning to the SIS-L. As a person who has actively fought for justice in the past, I wish for no one to get involved in what is currently going on. All those of the world…there is such a thing as fate, but there is also such a thing as free will. Most have the choice of exercising free will in order to change their fate, the choice of discovering what they can do with their lives. However, it seems I was never given this basic freedom. This is the ultimate injustice, and one that I must correct at any cost. Involving yourself in this case will only lead you down a terrible path._"

L bit on his thumb nail, obviously agitated by the electronically warped voice, while Naomi's mind began to race. Who would dare pass themselves off as L?

"_While I don't want anyone to get involved, at the same time I cannot say the same for those who willingly try to intervene. Case in point—_"

The backdrop vanished.

The black-and-white 'L' motif disappeared to show the corner of a dim-lit, unfurnished room, the recording device's lens shaking slightly. Occupying that corner was a teenage boy of about seventeen, his arms and legs bound tightly with spare electronics cords, his mouth gagged in a similar fashion. There was no sight of the person who was claiming to be L, but the hostage's wide, terror-stricken eyes and the puffy red bruise on his forehead seemed to tell the whole story.

"_There is no need to worry, Chief Yagami. He isn't seriously harmed, and I have no intention of killing him. To do so would undermine both my reputation and everything I'm trying to accomplish right now. Nonetheless, a price must be paid if you want him returned, and I only ask for one thing: the dissolution of the SIS-L. I'm aware you don't have the authority to discontinue every SIS-L branch across the world, but this isn't just about the Japan Branch. This request mainly goes to out to that stubborn man hiding behind his cohorts in Los Angeles. I'll send another video in four days, depending on the replies of Chief Yagami and Watari. As to whose response will have greater influence on Yagami's son's fate…we will just have to see._"

The video ended, the camera returning to the news station anchor, who now looked as shaken up as those who'd been watching the broadcast.

L turned to Naomi.

"Contact the SIS-L…_now_."

(End Chapter 16)


	17. Standstill

Title: Silent Consonant

By: Dr. Kim-chan

Author's Note: First thing's first. Sorry for the delay; when Beyond kidnapped Light, he threw everybody for a loop, including _me_, and I was wondering what to make everyone do next. Next, we have plenty to celebrate! One, we've reached fifty reviews! Ithilelda, you're that awesome fiftieth reviewer, so this chapter's for you (special guest stars included). Two, "Silent Consonant" has recently been added to a C2 Archive called "Try It Yourself". Whee, I'm honored!

But now I must wag a finger at all of you. Yes, the "hostage situation" is a bit of a cliché (and one I'd been trying to avoid), but Beyond needed a chess piece, and this won't be the full extent of Light's involvement, not by a long shot. Besides, after seeing how "insane" Beyond is, Light will be even more in L's corner. (sigh) I felt like such a sadist writing Chapter 16. The man who would have been Kira now falls prey to L's original archenemy. Don't tell me you don't feel vindicated.

Oh, and there may be another delay; my anime convention's this weekend, so it'll take me a while to get into the swing of things.

Thank you, everyone, for all your support. Here's to hoping I get a _hundred_ reviews!

* * *

_It's definitely B._

As Naomi busied herself with establishing contact with the SIS-L, L stayed huddled in his chair, biting his thumb furiously. He considered himself to be a rather mild-mannered person, and he was more than aware that he needed to keep a cool head, but Beyond caught him at the worst time. And considering the fact that it was Beyond, the timing had to be more than coincidence.

Then one question remained: why?

Naomi gave L a thumbs-up, signaling that she was now connected with Watari. L turned the television off and listened in on the conversation.

"I was going to contact you tonight to see if you would accept my help, as per our agreement, but it looks like things have gotten out of hand," Naomi said.

"_I take it you saw the broadcast_."

"I think the better question would be 'who hasn't?'."

L sighed, once again counting his blessings that he teamed up with someone competent. Parts of Naomi's first conversation with the SIS-L was scripted, but for the most part Naomi was left to ad-lib, and she was very good at it.

"_I suppose now is as good a time as any to accept all the help we can get, but there are a couple of things we should resolve first. First, I'd like to hear your opinion on the video_," Watari offered.

"…To be frank, whoever was behind that is a pitiful actor. I never met L personally, but I got a strong idea of how he works, and whatever's going on, I don't think he'd stoop so low as to kidnap the police chief's son. You don't even have to read into it that deeply; all you have to do is look at the icon. Normally L uses a white background with a black Old English 'L', but in the video the colors are reversed. Of course, you could say L switched the colors on purpose to make a point—"

_Good_, L thought. _Don't argue your case too strongly._

"—but there's a few things that bother me, mainly his demand for the SIS-L to break up. Again, you could assume L doesn't _want _to be found, but it just reeks of someone trying to call off the dogs. Second, if we also assume this is the same guy behind Misora's kidnapping, why would they do something this reckless if they already have more discreet means of taking out witnesses, and why would they do it in so short a time? Even the SIS-L barely had time to react to Misora's disappearance. Third, they were willing to show us Yagami's son's face, and they said they didn't want to kill him because 'it would undermine his reputation'. They could just be stalling, but more importantly, they had the sense to try and emulate L's sense of morality.

"What concerns me most, though, is that they wanted this to air on live TV in the first place. Then there's that weird stuff he was saying about fate, and about 'the stubborn man hiding behind his cohorts in Los Angeles', which I'm guessing he means you…I get the feeling of a personal vendetta. Not criminals getting back at L, not a rival detective, but something altogether different. Even criminals would act more rationally than this, especially those who had the means to kidnap L in the first place. So, either we have an incredibly stupid criminal or a highly intelligent interloper."

"…_Quite impressive. I certainly see why L sought after your help. With this evidence, I can finally conclude that your intentions are genuine. However, it is not what you said, but what you _didn't _say that validated your identity._"

Both Naomi and L raised an eyebrow.

"'What I didn't say'?" Naomi repeated.

"_Yes. I've worked closest with L, so I know many things anyone else wouldn't know. Also, there's one piece of evidence you would have known if you had the means to peruse regional news in other parts of the world, which means you've been working solely with the evidence presented in Japan, as well as your own instincts. I'm separated from the SIS-L at the moment, so what I am about to tell you is being told in the purest confidence, and I ask that you keep this information in your head._"

Naomi looked up at L again, worry clouding her face. L resumed chewing on his thumb in response.

"_If you were in fact connected to this case, your theories wouldn't have had such a narrow focus. You _were _correct in one thing, however; the video doesn't seem like the work of a competent criminal, but neither is this person a complete fool; he may even be a genius. You said L mentioned the Los Angeles BB Murder Cases to you, but he didn't tell you any specifics about the perpetrator of those crimes?_"

"No."

"_The killer was a young man named Beyond Birthday, a former candidate to be L's replacement, someone who would have both the intelligence and the grudge you mentioned, and a couple of months ago, he escaped from a California prison. Of course, that was only reported locally in the Los Angeles area, so you wouldn't have had any way of knowing that._"

"So you think this Beyond person's behind this?"

"_I believe Beyond had a hand in it, but I do not think he's responsible for the kidnapping itself. In fact, I don't think L was kidnapped at all._"

Naomi froze.

"_As the reports said, we were in France the last time anyone heard from L, but I left his side for a few days. When I returned, he was gone, our reservation time at the hotel had been extended, and while some of our equipment had been taken, not _all _of it was. Any unscrupulous criminal would have had all the time in the world to take everything, or would have been in too much of a rush to pick and choose specific items, and they certainly wouldn't have had the need or the authority to modify our hotel reservations. Also, L's cell phone was disconnected, and he always keeps his phone on. Even Misora's disappearance is suspect. Conveniently, before the SIS-L has a chance to pick her up for questioning, when it wasn't even publicly announced that we were looking for her, she's taken. But the reason why L left…even that lies beyond my speculation, but the fact of the matter is that the situation has blown out of proportion, and whatever the case is, L must be returned. However, I now have your assistance, and I am also assured of one other thing: both L and Beyond are in Japan._"

L's eyes narrowed.

"_This then brings me to the reason why I'm not with the SIS-L at this time. Tomorrow I'll have entered Japan, and from then on I'll be assisting the Japan Branch. Three other investigators will take my place in Los Angeles, but no one else in the SIS-L will know of them. They are L's current successors, so they'll have much valuable insight._"

"Got it…but now that you mention Beyond…you think Misora learned of the escape two months ago, then put two and two together when she heard about L and acted on her own?"

"_That's also a possibility, though I'm not sure she'd be so rash. We'll explore our options when I arrive tomorrow._"

"Understood."

Naomi terminated the connection, her face totally drained of confidence and energy.

Then she looked up—and saw total devastation in L's.

* * *

Ice-blue eyes swept around the perimeter of the gate a few times before she stepped out onto the busy pathway and continued towards baggage claim. Even as she walked, she kept taking quick glances over her shoulder at the small band of people she was leading through the Los Angeles airport.

A former Secret Service agent, Halle Bullook was one of three candidates picked for a seemingly straightforward mission: to accompany three teenage boys from New York to Los Angeles. However, the minute she found out L was involved, and Watari himself contacted them to brief them on the specifics, she took it a lot more seriously.

Some of the pressure was taken off her shoulders by two colleagues chosen to help her with this mission: Stephen Loud, an ironically quiet and reserved CIA agent, and Anthony Carter, a muscular, soft-spoken FBI agent with military experience (a few who knew him professionally still made it a point to call him "Commander Carter"). With all of them working in different areas of government, none of them had ever met each other before, but all of them heard of L at some point in their careers, and all of them knew the current case that held the world in its grip.

L had vanished, and with crisis point having been reached, it called for an unprecedented move.

L's influence was apparently so important that potential successors were handpicked and trained from a young age at an undisclosed location. Bullook, Loud, and Carter stepped in when the kids' flight from London landed at JFK, taking over the roles of a couple of agents from Britain's MI5. From the moment they laid eyes on their charges, it'd been rather awkward. The one called Near barely spoke, preferring to stare at everyone with indifferent, dark gray eyes as he clutched a toy robot to his chest. The blond called Mello maintained the same degree of professionalism as the adults around him, seething with duty and unidentifiable rage, chomping down on the seventh chocolate bar he demanded one of the MI5 agents to buy for him. When they boarded the plane, he wanted to sit as far away from Near as possible, keeping close to the redhead, Matt, who Halle would have thought was dead to the world had she not seen him navigate his surroundings with ease while playing on a handheld game console. They were the epitome of 'idiosyncrasy', adult attitudes crossbred with childish immaturity.

It almost made Halle wonder if L was that young, if not a little older, and if so, how his intelligence had to be virtually unrivaled.

A ringing sound called out from inside her jacket pocket. Still keeping her stride, she fished out her cell phone and flipped it open.

"Bullook."

"_Have you arrived in Los Angeles yet?_"

Watari.

"Yes. We're en route to the field office right now. The 'investigators' seem to be all right; they don't seem tired from their trip at all."

"_That's good to hear. They may be young, but they've been trained to handle stressful circumstances. I contacted you because your duties have changed._"

Halle raised an eyebrow. She stopped in her tracks and held up a hand, forcing those walking behind her to stop walking as well.

"What are our new orders?"

"_There's been a development in the case, which I'll brief you on upon your arrival at the FBI field office; you won't be returning to New York after the drop-off. I'm en route to Japan, so I'd like you three to remain with Near, Mello, and Matt and operate alongside them as an investigative unit. Your group's status within the SIS-L remains unchanged; they'll provide you with office space and resources, but that is the extent of their involvement. Anything else you need can be acquired through me, and you report none of your activities to the SIS-L under any circumstances._"

"Understood."

"_Your superiors have been informed of this, and your lodgings in Los Angeles have already been provided. Contact me if anything comes up._"

"All right."

Halle hung up the phone and turned to face Anthony and Stephen, who were already prepared to hear what she had to say.

"Looks like we're staying here. Something's come up, apparently, so Watari wants us to help them in their investigation," she informed, making pointed glances at the three boys…or where they were supposed to be. A second later, Anthony and Stephen noticed the same thing, the smallest hint of panic showing up on their faces.

Halle stuffed her cell phone in her pocket and whipped around, but she didn't have to twist her head around any further than seventy degrees counterclockwise to find them. In the single moment that she was on the phone with Watari, the three boys had slipped out of their sight and went to stand behind a few solitary drinkers at an airport bar a few feet away, intently watching a television that was tuned in to a national news channel.

Halle heaved a relieved sigh and rubbed the back of her neck, seriously contemplating scolding them, but as she marched up to them, she realized exactly what it was that had captivated their attention.

"…_a bizarre turn of events: yesterday evening, the Japan Branch of the SIS-L and every major news channel in Japan were ordered to play video footage live on the air. The video appeared to have come from L himself, who called for the immediate disbanding of the SIS-L with threats of a hostage, whom was also shown during the video. Sources have identified the hostage as Light Yagami, son of SIS-L Japan Branch leader and NPA police chief Soichiro Yagami…_"

Matt made an imperceptible snickering sound under his breath, Mello crossed his arms, and for the first time since Halle laid eyes on him, Near's face reflected an emotion other than boredom. Unfortunately, that emotion was sheer annoyance.

"This must have been the development Watari was talking about," Anthony muttered.

"That doesn't make sense, though," Stephen whispered. "Why would L kidnap someone?"

"Because it's not L."

The three agents looked down at Mello, who was glaring at the television set in the bar, but more out of disbelief than anger.

"Do you think it's Beyond?" Near asked.

"What're you asking _me _for? You _know _this is Beyond! No one other than a total whack-job would try something this stupid."

"I don't think 'stupid' is the right word to describe it. He probably planned this out with a specific purpose…then that also validates the theory that L disappeared of his own free will," Near muttered.

Mello finally stopped trying to telepathically burn a hole through the television set in the bar and redirected his eyes at Near, who didn't bother to return the glance. Mello was easy to read when it came to non-verbal clues, and now, Near could only assume, he was demanding an explanation.

"If you eliminate kidnapping and criminals with no apparent forethought, there's no other reason anyone would do something like this other than to force L out of hiding."

"But what's he hiding from? More importantly, why would L hide in the first place? L doesn't hide from anything!" Mello snapped.

Near picked up his toy robot and started moving its arms.

"I don't know. Whatever's going on, L took himself off the radar on purpose, and that in itself is an important clue."

* * *

Among everything else running through Light's mind, the awareness that he hadn't had anything to eat in hours was currently the most prominent.

And the only reason that was a prominent thought was because his kidnapper was sitting on the floor in front of him, the laptop behind him casting an ominous and melodramatic glow, using his bare fingers as a spoon to feed himself scoops of strawberry jam.

As messy as it looked, however, his technique was precise, and he was careful not to spill any on his white shirt and wrinkled jeans.

It had been like this for hours…or at least, what Light could discern as hours. (Maybe it had been a day, a night…he couldn't be sure. He didn't even know where he was; the last thing he remembered was taking a shortcut to the hotel where Naomi was last seen before he went on to the NPA headquarters, and then something hard hit him on the head, knocking him unconscious.) After he came to, someone pointed a web cam at him, and he heard someone's voice speak collectively to the SIS-L; he distinctly heard the person reassuring his father that he wouldn't be killed. Nothing much had happened after that. Between periods of staring curiously at him, the kidnapper would talk to himself while perusing data on his laptop, laughing quietly to himself and making frequent mentions of L, fate, games, and someone he only referred to as 'A'.

But now he looked like he was ready to talk.

With a quiet smack, the dark-haired man cleaned off his fingers with his tongue and set down the glass jar.

"You remind me a lot of A, except you're a bit more tenacious. The fact that you've been trying to track down Misora means you followed a strong hunch…a correct hunch, I might add. You might be more useful than I thought."

Holding up a hand, Beyond playfully tapped Light's forehead with a sticky fingertip, leaving a wet imprint between his brows.

"So…tell me everything you know."

(End Chapter 17)


	18. Not Quite

Title: Silent Consonant

By: Dr. Kim-chan

Author's Note: Guess who's back from her anime convention?! (gets surly looks) Okay, okay, I'm sorry I've been gone for so long, but I've had my fun this weekend, and now I'm back at the computer and rearing to go! In fact, ACen kinda helped me with this fic. On Saturday I cosplayed as L, and being in character all day, I learned a couple of things and got a bit of insight into his character. For one, I got the feeling that L is secretly insecure. (shrugs and sighs) I wonder if your prediction will come true after all, Ithil…

And of course, all this fired up my inspiration. So now that I have a new perspective (and a new L plushie to cheer me on at my desk), let's go forward!

* * *

"_Sir, we're getting a message from the France Branch._"

Watari looked up at the sound of Mogi's voice and set his laptop to the appropriate channels. As with the Los Angeles Branch, Watari reserved an office exclusively for himself within the NPA headquarters so that he could work independently and prevent any accidental encounters between the SIS-L's Japan Branch and the team of L's successors in Los Angeles, but the agents here had a greater range of communication with him, including two-way video feed and phone.

"Patch them through."

Mogi immediately disappeared from the projection screen in front of Watari's desk, his face replaced by a browser window displaying the head of France's Central Directorate of Interior Intelligence. Under normal circumstances, Watari would have preferred France to put their SIS-L branch in the Directorate-General for External Security, but that agency happened to be one of the current primary suspects in L's disappearance, given that two people who claimed to be from the DGSE showed up at Wammy's House about a month ago. Though Watari eventually came to the conclusion that L hadn't really been kidnapped, again, there were certain things he couldn't let the SIS-L know right now, and even he didn't know how that part of the story figured into this.

"_We've finished looking into the DGSE. According to their records, they never had two agents named Edouard Aubin and Antoinette DuVerger. A more thorough inquiry also turned up no evidence of an inside job or data manipulation. As to the possibility of a connection between the suspects and the Black Hexagon syndicate, French police carried out a raid on one of their Paris strongholds a couple of weeks ago in which they captured one of the main ringleaders. When questioned, they claimed no responsibility for L, and in fact seemed surprised to hear of it; they'd simply taken advantage of the confusion to push ahead with a major arms deal. We're trying to verify their claims now, but at the moment it looks as if their story checks out._"

Watari sighed and folded his hands on top of each other. That proved it. The case that L had been investigating just prior to his disappearance had nothing to do with this.

This was truly his worst nightmare come true.

"…_You also asked us to look into flight reservation information from all of our major airports from the past five months?"_

Watari nodded. "And?"

_"As to that, we did come across a reservation made in early October. It was a departing flight to Los Angeles, booked in the name of a Rue Ryuuzaki. We retrieved the footage showing the passengers who boarded that flight, which should be included in the briefing report._"

"Good work. I'm about to give you a security code. Use it to send your report to my server. In the meantime, please continue looking into the Black Hexagon."

"_Understood._"

He opened the link to the server he specified as the browser window vanished. When the progress window reached ninety percent, he contacted the FBI Los Angeles field office. Another browser window opened on the projector screen, this time showing Near's impassive face.

"_Hello, Watari._"

"Hello, Near. Where are Matt and Mello?"

Near glanced over his shoulder and motioned to someone off-screen. Seconds later, the blond and redhead were pressing on him from both sides, staring into the web cam as if it was an aquarium full of fascinating creatures.

"_What's up?_" Matt addressed him casually.

"I'm about to send you some data I received from the France Branch. In short, the agents who visited the orphanage and claimed to be working on behalf of L…their names weren't anywhere in the DGSE database, nor was there any evidence of this being the work of the DGSE itself. This doesn't seem to be the work of the Black Hexagon syndicate, either."

Mello's face scrunched up, Matt adopted a distant glaze in his eyes, and Near wrapped a lock of hair in his finger and started twirling.

"_So along with that broadcast in Japan, at this point, the Beyond theory seems to be the strongest_," Near muttered.

"_Wait a minute_," Mello interrupted. "_If Beyond's the one behind this, then did he show up in France after he escaped from prison?_"

"I also had them double-check the airports. As it so happened, a flight to Los Angeles had been booked a couple of months ago under the name of a Rue Ryuuzaki."

Mello's eyes narrowed as Near simply stated, "_So Beyond led him into a trap._"

"_But that doesn't make any sense_. _Why would L take such a foolish risk? If he knew what Beyond was capable of…_"

"_Maybe Beyond made a promise to him. Something like, 'I won't hurt you; I just want to tell you something'._"

"_Like I said, why would L fall for that lie if he knew what Beyond was capable of?!_"

Near twirled his hair again. "_Well, that explanation _would _hold if we let go of the assumption that L's powers of insight are faultless. Don't forget: Beyond was trained to be his successor. If anyone could trick L, it'd be him. You said it yourself, Mello; not only did L follow the Wara Ningyo Murders despite there only being three victims, but it was also one of the few times where he began to feel doubt._"

"_But you'd still think he'd learn from that!_" Mello spat out.

"_I suppose it merely comes down to exactly how Beyond lured L to Los Angeles, and why. I'm guessing he provoked L by issuing another challenge._"

"_That _still _doesn't explain how they ended up in Japan_," Matt interjected.

"…_The SIS-L started looking for Naomi Misora shortly after L disappeared, and she turned out to be in Japan with her fiancé, Raye Penber. If we assume Beyond is somehow acquiring data directly from the SIS-L, and if we also assume his objective also entails revenge, then he probably found out her location and went after her as well. Probably another part of his 'game'_," Near explained passively. "_…Hm. We have the data now, Watari._"

"All right. Let's all look at the video footage before we map out our next move."

Watari and Near simultaneously clicked on the link, and each person's media player began playing back monochromatic video of passengers going in and out of a gate at Charles de Gaulle Airport. Prolonged moments of silence passed as everyone's eyes closely analyzed the somewhat fuzzy images.

"_There!_"

Pause.

A dark-haired man in a white shirt, jeans, and dirty tennis shoes stood at a counter just before boarding, one foot awkwardly balancing a small stack of carry-on luggage. Watari and Near rewound the video until everyone got a better view of his face.

_"__That's definitely L_," Mello said. "_L said Beyond had tried to set himself on fire after the murders, so unless he went through all the trouble of getting cosmetic surgery—which I doubt—if this was Beyond, he'd still have the scars on his face._"

"_But why'd he use the name 'Rue Ryuuzaki'?_" Matt asked.

"_L took that name from Beyond after the Wara Ningyo Murders…but it's also possible Beyond booked the flight for him in advance_," Mello added.

"Mmm…now it's starting to make sense. All right, your next orders. Near, I'd like you and Carter to search through LAX's database and look for any booked flights under any of L's aliases or the name Rue Ryuuzaki for the past five months. Retrieve any video you find, as well. I want Mello and Bullook to go to the LAPD and see whether or not there were any recent crimes similar to the Wara Ningyo Murders, and see if they've received any leads on Beyond's whereabouts. You may also have to go to the California State Prison in Corcoran. Matt, you and Loud look into the reservation data for all hotels in the downtown Los Angeles area ranging from three-star to five-star."

"_Okay_," the three chorused.

* * *

_Why are you hiding from Watari? Who, exactly, _is _Watari?_

_What happened after you and Beyond left Los Angeles? What was the point of the thesis?_

_Why is everyone looking for you? Is it fair that you lead them on like this? And now the NPA police chief's son's been kidnapped…isn't it taking this too far?_

_Why am _I_ even involved?_

Dozens of questions ran through Naomi's mind, all of them she desperately wanted to ask L.

After Watari accepted the help of her alter ego, Mitsuko Ona, there had rarely been any communication between the two parties. L chalked it up to the SIS-L Japan Branch's desire to personally handle the matter of Light Yagami, and he made it no secret that he was glad about it; it meant there would be one less distraction to interfere with his true objective—whatever that was. Sure, she said that she was used to working with people with ulterior motives, but it was equally unacceptable for her to allow whatever was going on to continue if innocent people were getting involved.

What was worse, after Watari announced he was coming to Japan, L seemed to have lost some of his initiative. Between frantic periods of hacking and peering into various databases, he would sit in his armchair and ponder over matters seemingly outside Naomi's realm of comprehension, devouring piles of sweets and pastries.

It…it was _infuriating._

Naomi glared over the edge of her laptop, steeling herself for the inevitable argument; she still remembered the curt rebuff she received the first time she tried to ask L about Beyond and Watari's thesis. But she couldn't back down this time.

She wanted to know.

"Ryuuzaki."

L looked up, a piece of strawberry Pocky dangling from his lips.

"…There's something I want to ask."

_Beep!_

Naomi looked down at her laptop, which was alerting her to a connection attempt by Watari. A little annoyed at the interruption, she switched on the voice modifier, activated Ona's custom backdrop, and patched him through.

"Good morning, Watari. What is it?"

"_Some info has come in through the SIS-L France Branch and was analyzed by both myself and my team in Los Angeles. This new evidence confirmed my suspicions about Beyond, and I'm also led to believe he's the one behind Light Yagami's kidnapping as well._"

"What was his motive?" Naomi asked, more a question she truly wanted to know rather than something Mitsuko Ona was expected to ask.

"_That's currently unclear, but the more important issue is that we get Chief Yagami's son back safely so that both sides are standing on neutral ground. Whether L was kidnapped or not, Beyond is still committing a heinous crime._"

Naomi glanced up at L again, her mind working at full speed. The way this conversation was going, she was sure Watari wanted to collaborate on a plan to rescue Light. Her FBI experience returned as she thought of the best way to handle this hostage situation. Obviously it was out of the question to give in to Beyond's demands, but they also risked backlash, and possibly Light's life. And if this was Beyond, he did all this as a challenge to L in the first place, which also meant he probably already knew Mitsuko Ona and Naomi Misora were one and the same. The timing was inconvenient, and yet all too perfect.

She sighed inaudibly. Now she knew what it felt like to be L.

…To be L…

Something sparked in her head.

She knew she was letting her emotions get the better of him, but if she couldn't ask L any questions, then as long as she was playing O, she'd accept Beyond's challenge on L's behalf.

Maybe then she could drag an answer out of the stubborn detective.

"Watari, with your permission, I'd like to confront the kidnapper on the SIS-L's behalf."

The stick of Pocky in L's mouth loudly snapped in half, and a brief moment of static silence answered her.

"_With all respect, I think the SIS-L should take care of this matter._"

"Please, hear me out," Naomi persisted. "Obviously, you're not going to give in to his demands and dissolve the SIS-L anytime soon, and if this guy's still anything like he was during the Wara Ningyo Murders, you can't trust him to simply hand Light over if you publicly refuse his request. It's a no-win situation anyway, so let me do it on your behalf. At least this way, he'll be taken by surprise, and the SIS-L can take advantage of that and track Light down."

"_But what guarantee do you have that Beyond won't simply feel cornered and attempt to get rid of Yagami's son?_"

"Beyond is pretending to be L, right? That's what his plan hinges on. I'm guessing he kidnapped Light to make L look desperate, but he knows just as much as we do that there's a limit to how desperate L can get. So, if he's confronted by another detective, it would be all the more to his disadvantage to act irrationally and kill him. Right now, that's his only trump card. It'd be better for him to try and buy himself more time. And while he's taking that opportunity…"

"_We can seize an opportunity of our own_," Watari murmured. "…_Can you create a video response by tonight?_"

"Yes."

"_Then you have the SIS-L's full support. Use the same code I gave you yesterday to send us your video, and we'll air it on the news tonight. I suppose what happens after that will depend on his response._"

"At best he'll accept my challenge, and the SIS-L can continue looking for Light—and Misora, while they're at it—but if worse comes to worse, I accept full responsibility."

"_Understood._"

Naomi terminated the connection, then immediately hunted around the laptop's list of programs for the media editing program, already composing a script for the video. She had to choose her words carefully: just enough so that she could put some real pressure on Beyond, but she couldn't create too much of a rapport, or she would sound too much like herself…

"Misora."

She looked up. L had another whole stick of Pocky in his fingers, the broken one lying on the table in front of him. His eyes didn't speak of anger...but all the same…

He looked betrayed.

(End Chapter 18)


	19. A Cure for Stockholm Syndrome

Title: Silent Consonant

By: Dr. Kim-chan

Author's Note: Wow, relatively quick update! But things are about to get even trickier, so I might as well get on the ball. First, to answer merichuel's question, L didn't want to swallow Beyond's bait. However, he knew he'd be taking a risk by ignoring the issue of Light, so he was in the process of coming up with a plan when Naomi up and made the decision to go ahead and accept Beyond's challenge, partly because her sense of duty compelled her to rescue Light, partly because she got impatient with L and wanted to galvanize him into action.

But while Naomi was justified in her actions, she may be opening up a whole new can of worms. Like Ithilelda mentioned, Light himself remains the X-factor. And what was Beyond _really _up to with making that broadcast? And more important, are Near, Mello, and Matt simply helping Watari dig L's grave?

The question is…can she handle it? Can they ALL handle it?

Note: Okay, the first scene will seem a little…_odd_, but I am in no way implying anything. But you may let your imagination run wild if you wish.

* * *

"Open wide…"

Light glared at the messy-haired young man in front of him, but he was relieved nonetheless; the wires gagging his mouth had been removed. Still, his hands and feet remained bound, which probably gave his kidnapper a valid reason for doing what he was doing: gripping a spoon brimming with strawberry jam and holding it up to his lips.

For the past day and a half, this was all Light had been given to eat, and his kidnapper—who had since introduced himself as Rue Ryuuzaki—had been feeding it to him like a child. It was all a little embarrassing; though Light was a hostage, he still had his dignity, not to mention he was still seventeen years old. Any other (more violent) kidnapper and he wouldn't have dared object; at the very least, he was being fed. But for some reason, he was free to speak his mind around this person, and he was certainly about to say something now.

"Look," Light sighed, "You could keep my feet tied, and I could just use my hands to eat. I don't know where I am anyway, so where would I run to?"

Beyond smirked. His captive was rather persistent; this wasn't the first time he'd tried to convince him to untie the bonds. Well, he didn't expect any less from a police chief's son. His mental prowess had been evident from the first time they met. Even though Light couldn't tell him much when Beyond pried him for information a few days ago, his objectivity and close analysis of the few clues he _was_ able to obtain was impressive.

He'd be a more valuable pawn than he thought.

"But you could also use your hands to untie your feet, and as knowledgeable as you are, you could easily find your way back home."

"You haven't left this room the entire time I've been here."

"I leave every once in a while to buy food—" (At this, Light's glare became stronger. Since when did sweets count as food?) "—and even if I didn't leave, you could overpower me."

"Don't you have a weapon?"

"I suppose I could break this jar and use a glass shard as a weapon, but I have nothing that could be instantly fatal, like a gun. Even then, I don't want to kill you. I intend on keeping my word to the SIS-L."

Light's eyes narrowed, then a few seconds later, he winced again as a pang of hunger attacked his stomach, followed by a near-inaudible rumbling sound. Beyond cocked his head, smirked again, and held up the spoon closer to Light's mouth.

"Here."

"Don't you have something _other_ than jam?"

"You don't like jam?" Beyond asked, as if he was offended by the question.

"It doesn't have much nutritional value."

"You'd be surprised at what some people can subsist on."

"Obviously so," Light remarked flippantly. Beyond chuckled.

"Nevertheless, the fact remains that all I have right now is jam. Or do you intend on going hungry? I'd prefer that you stay alive, so you might as well adapt."

Light grimaced, resigning himself to fate, and tentatively opened his mouth wide enough for the spoon to slip in. He shuddered, the sticky-sweet substance lingering in his mouth and refusing to be swallowed easily, but he managed.

Satisfied, Beyond dipped the spoon in the jar again when the television suddenly blared out:

"…_We apologize for interrupting regular broadcasting. A new development in the case of L and the kidnapping of the NPA police chief's son…We were instructed by the SIS-L to play this video. If you'll please stay with us…_"

The newscaster paused, and then the screen was overtaken by a midnight-blue background, a black, brush-script hiragana 'O' drawn in the center.

"_This is to the one who kidnapped Chief Yagami's son…and who, I assume, is also responsible for L and Naomi Misora. You may call me 'O'. I am a private detective who has worked with L in the past, and because of this I approached the SIS-L to offer my services. I even adopted a similar MO as L, I admired him that much. That said, there's a difference between emulation and a poor imitation, like your attempt to pass yourself off as L. I know who you are, and I know your true intentions._

"_I won't mince my words: this is a direct challenge—not from the SIS-L, but from me. It was a decision I made on my own, because I couldn't stand by while innocent people became involved in this twisted game. But you have a choice: I can either become your pursuer, or I can become your negotiator. I can't guarantee full immunity, but if you wish to cooperate, that'll be the first step in the right direction. But if you're still adamant on intimidating the SIS-L, then know that you'll have to try a lot harder than that to deter them—or me._"

The video abruptly ended, returning the camera to the now-dazed-looking news anchor, and Light's mind went reeling. He didn't expect a response from the SIS-L so soon, let alone an aggressive challenge from a third party. It also didn't take him long to figure out that this 'O' and the detective Mitsuko Ona that was mentioned in the SIS-L had to be one and the same.

Then…did this mean Mitsuko Ona had been on the up-and-up after all? Was he really about to be saved?

But how would his captor respond to this?

He tensed up again as he got his answer: Beyond's shoulders suddenly began to shake, his laughter growing louder and louder.

"_Henh henh henh henh henh henh! Henh henh henh henh!_"

He rolled and spun around on the floor like an inflatable clown, barely avoiding spilling his precious jam. It was more than a little disturbing to his captive, who was staring at him with a mixed expression of shock, confusion, and irritation. He'd hesitated to label him as 'insane', but…what else could you call _this_?

A few minutes later, Beyond managed to calm himself down. He twisted his neck around to face Light again, his own face now an eerie picture of amusement.

"Not quite the response I was expecting. I didn't think they'd be this desperate."

"They really didn't have any other decision, did they?" Light argued. "I don't mean this as a compliment, but you backed them into a perfect corner. If I was part of the SIS-L, I would have used an intermediary as well."

"I'm not talking about the SIS-L. I'm talking about Misora and L."

_...Wait. Misora and L?_

Light's eyes widened to twice their normal size.

"What are you talking about? Aren't you the one who kidnapped them?" he demanded, his voice slightly raised.

"If you're going to be my accomplice, I need you to be a little less naïve."

Ignoring Light's skeptical glance when he said the word 'accomplice' (and his umpteenth glare when he said the word 'naïve'), Beyond began helping himself to some jam from the same jar he'd been feeding Light from—without using the spoon.

"It's strange how people can easily speak of L being kidnapped as if someone's actually capable of pulling it off. Yes, he's far from perfect, but he is far from foolish. No offense to the SIS-L and their valiant efforts, but the cold truth is that, aside from yourself, no real crime was ever committed. L kidnapped himself. It's as simple as that. As for Misora, you said there was something suspicious about her disappearance, and you were right. Most likely L contacted her and convinced her to help him penetrate the SIS-L under the alias Mitsuko Ona."

"But why? I mean, what makes you so sure about this?" Light asked.

"When you were snooping around the SIS-L database, did you happen to come across anything about a case called the Wara Ningyo Murders?"

Light nodded slowly, unsure of where this conversation was going. "Misora got involved at L's personal request, even though she was off-duty at the time. That was mainly why the SIS-L was looking for her, since she was one of the few people who worked that closely with L."

"Hmm. It's my understanding that they gave the murders another title: the 'Los Angeles BB Murder Cases'. What did the 'BB' stand for?"

"Those were the initials of the culprit's name: Beyond Birthday. But what was bizarre to me was that…well, supposedly he tried to kill himself before he was caught, but Misora saved his life—"

"Sounds like a brilliant person, don't you think?"

"Brilliant?"

"Yes. L got involved because the murders were a challenge to his ego. Beyond Birthday tried to kill himself because, if he'd succeeded, the culprit wouldn't have been caught, the case wouldn't have officially been solved, and Beyond would have won. But it didn't matter anyway, did it? A few months ago he escaped prison, and even now he remains a prime suspect."

Beyond's smirk grew wider.

"And he intends to win this time."

Exactly two seconds later, the full force of that statement hit Light in the stomach, leaving an aftertaste in his mouth much worse than strawberry jam.

He had been kidnapped…by a _serial killer_.

Beyond noticed his terror, mistook it for hunger, and scooped out another spoonful of jam, but Light's lips remained pressed together, so Beyond ate it himself.

"I apologize for lying to you before, but I wanted to make sure I could put you to a better purpose than bargaining bait. And now that you know who I really am and what I'm capable of, can I assure that I have your cooperation?"

After a moment's hesitation, Light reluctantly nodded.

"All right, then. The first thing we should figure out is how to respond to Mitsuko Ona's challenge. After that, I'll rely on you to do your part."

Without warning, Beyond leaned in extremely close to Light's face, their noses less than an inch apart. Light could practically smell the scent of strawberries on Beyond's breath.

"You wanted to play detective. How about actually becoming one?"

* * *

"_Why did you decide to confront Beyond?"_

"_Because the SIS-L was at a stalemate. They weren't going to comply with his demands, but they couldn't risk Light's life, either."_

"_...For being a former FBI agent, you can be a poor liar sometimes."_

_Silence._

"_I could tell because you avoided eye contact, but that's beside the point. I can understand why you became impatient with me—I probably would have done the same thing—but I wasn't going to leave Yagami's son in danger, if he's in any danger at all. Killing a hostage, let alone taking a hostage in the first place, is the last thing Beyond would do. He knows that's the mark of an amateur. His true intentions are either to draw me out or discredit the SIS-L…or both. I'm still not entirely sure."_

_L sighed. "But what's done is done, and it wasn't an entirely bad maneuver on your part. But in the future, I'll ask that you keep your emotions in check."_

_For a second, Naomi let her chin fall to the floor, looking like a child who'd just been scolded, then she looked up again._

"_But that's just it, L—"_

"'_Ryuuzaki.'"_

"_Whatever. If you're not in danger, why are you letting the SIS-L continue to believe that you're gone? Why is Beyond still playing this game with you? Does it have to do with Watari?"_

_L's face suddenly took on a pinched look. He folded his arms on top of his knees and buried half his face inside them._

"_I'd rather not talk about that, Misora."_

* * *

Naomi heaved another sigh—and she dared to make it a little loud, since she was currently in the hotel room's kitchenette, fixing herself a cup of green tea. Even this simple act served to break the monotony of the past week or so.

Monotony in action, and monotony in responses.

Mentally she berated herself. She should've expected that L would be a bit more stubborn. But, she immediately reminded herself, L was only one part of the problem. Whatever information he uncovered, someone had to have shown it to him, and the only person who would have done that was Beyond. At this point, the best she could hope for was to pick up on any subtle messages Beyond presented in his response to her challenge. That was his style, after all—hiding clues where they were the most obvious.

Naomi gazed into the sea-green liquid. Maybe it wasn't so complicated. After all, she followed L through the first part of the game. Maybe even at that early stage, something had been mentioned that would now shed light on this current train of events. If she could just figure it out, then anything Beyond said in the next couple of days would only confirm her suspicions.

_12 and 13 make 25. One is missing. 12 knows why._

"_Do you think Beyond's trying to tell you…that you're the constructed ideal elite Watari hypothesized about?"_

"…_Then does that also mean A and Beyond…were just failed experiments?"_

"_Let's say that I am the ideal elite. Why continue to make more if I'm the one to bring society to its sought-after conclusion?"_

"_Then this isn't about winning and losing at all. He wanted you to feel what A felt, what he felt."_

"_What about the future?"_

"…_if it doesn't lead us towards ruin, why change it?"_

"_But what's worse is being thrown away a second time."_

The former FBI agent's head swam with fragments of past conversations, from L and Beyond, Beyond's video and Watari, all of them taking the form of puzzle pieces that she had to force together.

"_I can't really explain the situation in its entirety, partly because I myself am not absolutely sure what is going on, and I hope to discover the true forces at work when all is said and done. Also, if what I suspect turns out to be true, it would put you at risk if I fail to execute this plan successfully. That said, I hope this doesn't prevent us from working together."_

"_All those of the world…there is such a thing as fate, but there is also such a thing as free will. Most have the choice of exercising free will in order to change their fate, the choice of discovering what they can do with their lives. However, it seems I was never given this basic freedom…"_

"_I believe Beyond had a hand in it, but I do not think he's responsible for the kidnapping itself. In fact, I don't think L was kidnapped at all."_

"The first time, L didn't want Watari involved because he was under Beyond's strict instructions," Naomi whispered to herself. "But now it seems like L's _hiding_. Meanwhile, Watari knows L wasn't kidnapped, and he knows Beyond's involved, but he hasn't told the SIS-L any of this. It's almost as if he's _withholding _information from them. And he has L's successors involved, as well. Then there's that thesis…why _would _you continue to make more elites if L's proven himself to be a success?"

She picked up the cup of tea, cradling it in her hands.

Then Beyond's voice echoed back to her.

"_But what's worse is being thrown away a second time."_

_Shatter!_

The cup slipped from her grasp and smashed to pieces on the linoleum tiles, hot green tea spilling everywhere. Naomi faintly heard footsteps, and then L appeared in the open entryway.

"Are you all right, Misora…?"

His voice faltered as he saw her face. It was a perfect blank.

"...'12 and 13 make 25. One is missing. 12 knows why.'"

Naomi turned around, visibly fighting back tears.

"You know why…because you're a failed experiment, too."

(End Chapter 19)


	20. Futility

Title: Silent Consonant

By: Dr. Kim-chan

Author's Note: Holy crap! We're at twenty chapters already? (shakes head) Of course, I'm nowhere close to the end (despite what you may read in this chapter!). And I have so many new stories I wanna start (most of them Death Note crossovers), but I have a terrible habit of abandoning stories every time I start a new one (though I hope to continue "Bakery Boys" and "Ronin Note" soon), but "Silent Consonant" has become so complex, I don't think I could abandon it if I tried.

And for some reason, Chapter 19 got more reviews than Chapter 13…and Chapter 13 was a _mind-blower_. But I also got some new reviewers, so I'm glad.

Anyway, I didn't even know Naomi was going to figure it out that soon, but she did it in the nick of time. Now the dominoes will _really _start falling—and they'll fall _hard_.

And forgive me for my confusing references to the would-have-been SPK agents. It's a little weird to not be calling them "Rester", "Gevanni", and "Lidner", but obviously they don't have need for their fake last names, so just so we're clear, it's "Carter", "Loud", and "Bullook", respectively.

* * *

"Looks like Watari was right…"

At the sounds of a beeping security console and an opening door, Near used the leg that wasn't pulled up to his chest to spin himself around in his oversized office chair, coming within two inches of sideswiping Carter's leg.

Matt and Loud were just now returning from their mission to LAX, and while Matt strolled into the room with his handheld game, Loud was left to carry the manila folder containing the vital copies of the reservation data they requested from the airport's database. Mello and Bullook were still gone, en route to the prison where Beyond was held.

"…and this time we got _three_ flights," Matt concluded.

Casually he saved his game, turned off the console, slipped it into his pants pocket and hopped into a vacant office chair. Taking his cue, Loud opened the folder and handed a piece of paper to Near.

"The first is the one from France that L was on, so that confirms that. But here's where it gets weird: about a week later, a flight headed to New York was booked under the name Rue Ryuuzaki. Then the next day, there's _another_ booking to New York, but that flight was put under the name of Eraldo Coil. What's even weirder is that L showed up in Los Angeles _the day before_ Beyond broke out of prison."

Carter crossed his arms. "Wait a minute. Doesn't that mean L _knew _Beyond was going to escape from prison?"

"A serial killer escapes, tells L in advance he's going to escape, and L doesn't do anything?" Loud asked.

"No. He did something. He came to Los Angeles to confront him," Near corrected. "Remember: at the time, the threat wasn't to the general public, so there was no need to do anything hasty. It was, and still is, nothing more than a personal challenge."

"But Beyond took a flight out of the city."

"And L followed him."

"So why did they go to New York?"

Near shrugged.

"Before we think about that, there's a few other things we have to consider. Don't you also think it's strange it was a little over a week until either of them left? You have to wonder what both of them were doing in that time frame, and you also have to wonder how L knew Beyond was going to escape when he was in France at the time, which also leads to the question of why Beyond booked the first flight for him in the first place. If he didn't want to get caught, telling him he was going to escape and giving him a means of transportation would be rather pointless."

Matt leaned into the chair, sticking out his tongue absentmindedly.

"Well, I don't know about everything else you said, but if we want to know how Beyond got in touch with L, we can call Mello and ask."

Near turned around again, this time to face Carter, and somehow, the brawny FBI agent knew what Near wanted him to do; the boy's cloud-colored eyes had a troubling ability to convey a message without him moving his mouth. Carter pulled out his phone and immediately dialed Bullook's number.

"…_Hello?_" Bullook answered.

"Stephen and Matt's just returned from the airport, so we got a bit more information. We'll talk about it more when you two get back, but to make it brief, L did arrive in Los Angeles—the day before Beyond Birthday escaped from prison. Then a week after that, they both left to go to New York."

"…_Wait. So did L know Beyond was going to escape?_"

"That's what Near and Matt were getting at, and that's why I called. If L was all the way in France, then Beyond had to have used an e-mail or some sort of phone connection if L found out on such short notice. Find out if there was any kind of computer terminal or something that Beyond used to contact L—"

At that moment, Near's terminal beeped. He twirled his chair around again for the third time and clicked on the link, and Watari's face popped up in a browser window.

"Keep Bullook on the line," Near ordered. Meanwhile, Matt used his feet to propel his own wheeled office chair to Near's side.

"Something come up?" Matt asked.

"_If you recall, the other day we allowed the detective Mitsuko Ona to issue a personal challenge to Beyond in response to Chief Yagami's son's kidnapping. We just received another video from him today._"

"That quickly?"

"…_The speed of his response isn't the troubling thing. I'm sending you the video now. I see Mello isn't there, but this is too urgent for us to wait; he can be briefed when he and Bullook return._"

Near nodded, and not less than thirty seconds later he received the video file. He clicked it, and a media player eclipsed Watari's face, showing a black background contrasted by a white Old English 'L'…

* * *

"_Mitsuko Ona…I admire your dedication and your determination, but don't misconstrue my intentions, and don't think for a second that I'll draw you and everyone else into a manhunt. As I said before, this is a personal struggle I want no one else to get involved in. As someone who claims to have worked with L before, you should know this better than anyone. But I have to say, it's almost a shame your talents will go to waste._

"_Kidnapping Light Yagami was simply a step to make the SIS-L understand the severity of the situation—no, to make _Watari _understand the severity of the situation. But apparently he's so desperate as to let a third party chase after me, to take away this 'L' disguise and let everyone see who I really am. I'll never give him the satisfaction, but neither will I let the situation continue to deteriorate like this. I will relinquish Light Yagami, and Naomi Misora as well. As for L, that remains to be seen._

"_These are my conditions. I understand that Misora's fiancé, Raye Penber, is currently working for the SIS-L Japan Branch. Mitsuko Ona, I'd like you and him to meet at the Tsukiji fish market tonight at 2:28 AM. I'll be waiting there with Light and Misora. No one else is to accompany you and Penber, and while I will gladly cooperate, I have no intention of being captured. I'll hold up my end of the agreement and hand them both over unharmed, but should you break your promise, I can no longer assure that my hostages will be surrendered alive._"

* * *

"This can't be happening…" Naomi moaned, starting to regret her decision to confront Beyond. Her laptop sat on the coffee table as usual, the monitor showing a media player with a black screen.

She and L received the video from Watari this morning. For reasons not yet known, Beyond sent his video directly to the SIS-L Japan Branch without asking it to be broadcast publicly. Watari guessed it was because Beyond wanted to ensure that there was no unwanted attention or interference when the drop-off happened, but for Naomi, analyzing any underlining motivation was the _least _of her worries.

All this time she thought Beyond wanted to oust L, and L himself believed that it was his intention, but now the tables had been turned, and she was being demanded to show her face.

In front of _Raye_, no less.

Her devoted fiancé, someone who'd been spending all this time tracking her down, obviously worried out of his mind, fooled into thinking she'd been kidnapped.

And to make matters worse, Beyond wasn't the only person she was furious with right now.

L stared at her warily from his armchair, now working on finishing off a fruit cocktail topped with gratuitous amounts of whipped cream and syrup.

"This is why I wanted to be careful in provoking Beyond. While I'm his ultimate goal, he first has to clear all other opposing pieces from the board, and this only confirms that he knew we were working together."

"Are you talking about chess again?" Naomi mumbled.

"Yes. In order to obtain a checkmate, you must capture the king; in this case that would be me. But first, he has to clear away all the other pieces, including the queen, which would be you. Hmm…I suppose that makes Watari a bishop, then—"

Naomi then cut off L's sentence as she exhaled forcefully and sat up straight.

She didn't know what it was—L's nonchalant attitude, the prospect of a broken engagement, or the painful, insulting memory of L keeping quiet and walking away from her when she confronted him in the kitchenette with her discovery the previous afternoon. Maybe she wasn't a fan of chess. She really didn't know.

But she'd had enough.

"This isn't a game anymore," she snapped. "And as long as we're using chess as a metaphor, you're a lousy king. What kind of king hides behind their queen?"

L threw her back a pained look, temporarily putting down his dessert spoon.

"I'm not hiding…"

"The hell you aren't! You probably had a lot of other cases you were working on before all this started! There were a lot of other people counting on you, and the second Beyond calls you out, you suddenly abandon your duties and play this game, and you're so obsessed with stroking your damn ego that you don't even notice what's going on around you!"

Fueled by rage, she stood up.

"Raye will _kill_ me if he finds out about this—if Beyond doesn't take care of that tonight, that is—other criminals are running loose who-knows-where now that you're gone, governments are falling all over themselves to find you, Chief Yagami's son's been held hostage by Beyond for _days_ and his family's most likely worried _sick_, and whatever Watari's up to, he seems perfectly happy with leading the SIS-L on, and that probably includes your successors! _Young_ kids, L. Orphans. Kids who've probably looked up to you for years! So what'll happen if _they _end up labeled as failed experiments? Will they end up like A, too?!"

She arched her body over the coffee table menacingly, planted her hands into the table so firmly the heat from her fingers could have ate through the varnish if it was possible, and shot a glare straight into the pale detective's onyx eyes, which now had the slightest shade of fear in them.

If L truly knew her past, he would have known it was the same glare she'd given countless felons before. A glare given even more power by the authority of a badge or the barrel of a gun.

The look of an FBI agent once known as "Misora Massacre".

"I know I said I didn't mind working under you before, not knowing anything about what was going on," she said, her voice now dropped to a whisper, "but it's different when lives are being put in danger. You told me to keep my emotions in check, but every time I mention that thesis or Watari, you go silent or give me some empty excuse, or you lose your patience with me. And I admit, I may not understand anything you've been through; I may not even be able to begin to comprehend it. But I know right from wrong, and I know when the means start outweighing the ends."

She sighed and stood up again, but she still wasn't done.

"But being L, I'm sure—no, I _hope—_you have a plan in mind, and I'll be willing to work with you until the end. But if you can't start trusting me and keeping your own emotions in check, I can't help you anymore. Whatever happens between me and Raye, I'll find a way to handle it somehow, but I'd at least like to know the reason why I'm throwing my future away."

Her frustrations completely vented out, a lack of strength finally clutched her body, but sheer willpower kept her standing. L didn't look angry, but she wouldn't have cared if he was. She meant everything she said. As far as she was concerned, L no longer had any authority over her.

The silence continued to strain the air as L continued to stare blankly at her in surprise, though it probably wasn't the best thing to do. For both her sake and L's, he couldn't answer with silence this time.

And he didn't.

"Do you remember the day I came to your hotel?"

Naomi nodded slowly.

"And I told you that I counted on the SIS-L treating the case as a kidnapping."

Naomi nodded again, and L mixed the whipped cream with his spoon.

"When I said that, I didn't mean I wanted the SIS-L to believe that Beyond or someone else kidnapped you. I meant that I was hoping they would think that _I _kidnapped you."

Confused, Naomi let fatigue get the better of her, and she sat back down while L continued to talk.

"You'll go to the Tsukiji fish market as planned, but I'll go with you, too. Once we arrive, I'll explain to Raye who the perpetrator of Light's kidnapper is, and I'll explain everything else that's happened, but I will also say that I contracted you to help me infiltrate the SIS-L by using the false identity of Mitsuko Ona. I'll say that I did it under extreme duress, and you'll be cleared of any blame. And when Penber takes you and Light back to the SIS-L, I'll go as well, and confront Watari by myself. Now that I've taken the time to observe his actions, I can finally make an appeal to him. Whatever happens after that will be up to his discretion. As for Beyond, given that I've willingly played my last trump card, he'll also be forced to play his last trump card, and he'll probably be captured shortly afterward."

Naomi's eyes widened in shock.

"It's not exactly the ideal way I wanted the situation to develop, but it is still a rare opportunity we have to take, and the fact that it won't be a public affair is also advantageous," L explained, as if to answer her unspoken question. "Also remember that this was why Beyond aired the video in the first place. He'd hoped that the situation would eventually culminate in a similar standoff, and I'd be left to decide how it would end. This is my decision."

A chill of regret suddenly washed over Naomi. She received her answer, all right, but she still wasn't satisfied.

"And is what I said before true, too?"

L looked down at his fruit cocktail, obviously avoiding eye contact.

"Yes. Supposedly I've been seen as unfit to become the ideal elite, and Watari hoped to replace me with one of my successors…forcibly, if necessary."

"Forcibly?"

"…By having me put to death."

The unpleasant sensation of blood ceasing to pump normally through her body overcame her. Beyond's words rang through her mind again.

"_But what's worse is being thrown away a second time._"

"Wait a minute!" Naomi protested, a bit of her anger returning. "So you're going back to Watari, _knowing_ that he'll kill you?!"

"I'm hoping he won't. While I'm his experiment, I am still an individual aware of my own progress and identity. If I can appeal to him, I may be allowed to resume my duties as detective."

"And what if he doesn't let you?"

"I'll figure out an appropriate course of action when that time comes."

When L looked up into her face again, she could see true struggle, and the sadness was virtually contagious.

"If I may be honest with you, Misora…this is all I've known. Solving mysteries and putting my skills and intelligence to work for the betterment of society was all that I've been trained to do. I have become overspecialized in my own field of work, a unique individual among many, with a singular purpose. As a result, I now find myself at a great disadvantage. I don't know if I could do anything else."

"…But you told me that people could change their fate, though, back at the Omni Hotel," Naomi whispered, barely succeeding at preventing her voice from breaking. "If anyone can take charge of their lives, it's you."

"_People _can change their fate, Misora…not experiments."

(End Chapter 20)

Author's After Note: Another explanation is in order.

I chose Tsukiji fish market, of all places, because if you take the phonetic pronunciation, you can get two words: "tsuki" and "ji", which could also mean "moon" and "time". If you remember, Light's name is written with the character for "moon", while "ji" can also mean "time", thus "Light's time". The time Beyond gives in the video—2:28 AM—is also Light's birth date, February 28th. Also, Light's astrological sign is Pisces, symbolized by fish.

I have way too much fun with these clues…


	21. Triple Cross

Title: Silent Consonant

By: Dr. Kim-chan

Author's Note: Today I want to call out Armagnac, who not only gave me the idea for this chapter's title, but also gave me some food for thought and a huge compliment. I'm extremely honored that you broke your promise by reviewing my fic! I try to do my best, even when I let my "fangirl side" loose and write pairings. As for the subject of Raye, I think he's more insecure than misogynist. (For one thing, he looks like a perfect gentleman next to Light.) Sure, he's an FBI agent, but I always thought of him as more of an information specialist than a gung-ho field operations guy. Then you have a classic case of "opposites attract": his engagement to a woman with a much more powerful personality. And after constantly seeing her put her life at risk, I guess he felt the best way they'd have a future was for her to quit. And maybe Misora also secretly wanted to settle down. We may never know now…

As for the rest of you fine reviewers, I thought it was weird that no one pointed out the fact that Naomi pretty much tore L a new one last chapter—or maybe you were thinking "about damn time". (laughs) I was also hoping I didn't make it seem like L was giving up too easily. L may be a lot of things, but he's certainly not a wimp.

And more and more of you are also expressing interest in my clues, which is a coincidence because I've been thinking that in an upcoming chapter, I'd include a in-depth analysis of all the clues Beyond's given out thus far, since I've gotten into the habit of doing it for the more recent chapters. I'd appreciate everyone's input on that idea as well.

(looks up) Wow. Long Author's Note. Let's get this chapter started already…

* * *

11:30 PM.

In one of the larger office complexes on the third floor of the NPA headquarters, the members of the SIS-L Japan Branch were gathered in front of the desk at the head of the room. Usually reserved for the section chief—Soichiro—now Watari commandeered the desk, a detailed map of Tokyo behind him. For a few members of the team, this was their first time laying eyes on the elderly man's face.

A stone-faced Raye sat closest to the elderly man on the opposite side of the desk. Surrounding him were the rest of the SIS-L, including Aizawa, Ukita, Mogi, Ide, Matsuda, and Soichiro. Ever since being deemed an official member of the SIS-L Los Angeles Branch, they'd been all the help and support he had these past couple of weeks as he did the best he could working alongside a police force from a completely different realm of culture and protocols. However, despite his proficiency in the language, only Soichiro knew the emotional turmoil he'd had to endure.

His fiancée, Naomi…in the clutches of the madman she once helped L chase through Los Angeles streets and summer heat. He'd read the official reports on the Los Angeles BB Murder Cases; he knew what Beyond Birthday was capable of.

But for some inexplicable reason, he relented easily, and tonight, he would get Naomi back—and Light, for Soichiro's family's sake—with the help of the enigmatic Mitsuko Ona.

Raye knew as much about the detective as anyone else in the SIS-L—which was to say, very little. But it hadn't been difficult to glean what little clues about her personality they could from her videos and her decision to take on the kidnapper all by herself. It wouldn't have been the way Raye would have handled the situation, but he had to admit, she accomplished her goals with little resistance.

Her tenacity, quick wit, and her aggressiveness…

She almost reminded him of…

Watari stood up and coughed quietly, instantly grabbing everyone's attention.

"Let's go over the plan for tonight's drop-off."

He turned slightly and gestured at the map hanging behind him.

"Chief Yagami has secured the rest of the police force's assistance in cordoning off the area around Tsukiji for the duration of the operation, including sections of Ginza and the Hama Rikyu Garden. Now, he and Penber will drive to the location via Harumi-dori, followed by Aizawa and Ukita. At the last intersection, Aizawa and Ukita will stop and remain there as lookouts. Mogi and Matsuda will be stationed at the Hama Rikyu Garden while Ide's team and I stand by at the Kachidokibashi Bridge. Once Chief Yagami and Penber enter the area and meet up with Mitsuko Ona, Penber will go ahead alone while Chief Yagami stays in the car and acts as his immediate backup."

Watari paused to pick up a box full of sets of earpieces and receivers. He took one for himself before passing the box to Soichiro, who also took one for himself before passing the box on.

"These are the devices we'll be using. Everyone will be able to hear in on the drop-off and intervene should a problem come up. This method of communication will also prevent us from arousing suspicion from the kidnapper. The only pitfall is that these are rather outmoded, so we can't establish separate channels, and turning down volume would be too much of a risk, so the second Penber exits the car, everyone is to maintain silence until he's back in the car with Misora and Light, or unless there is an emergency."

Raye picked up his receiver, fitted it to his ear, threaded the wire through the inside of his shirt, and clipped the other end of the device to the inside of his coat pocket. This brought the reality of tonight's mission crashing down on him, but he kept a calm demeanor. That was certainly more than he could say for Matsuda, who was fidgeting constantly with his receiver.

"Once Penber IDs the kidnapper, everyone around the perimeter will keep a sharp lookout, and once the kidnapper leaves Tsukiji, tail him as best as you can. We won't detain him on the spot, but at the very least we want to ascertain his whereabouts. At best, we can follow him all the way to his hideout, or he'll have arrived at the location by a car from we can pick up a license plate number."

Everyone nodded solemnly, and Watari paused again, looking around at the modest assembly, reflecting on all that had happened thus far. L wouldn't be found tonight, but they would take back two people who'd probably know where he was.

At the very least, it was a step in the right direction.

"Does anyone have any questions…? Well then, let's test the receivers…"

* * *

1:52 AM.

"Repeat it back to me."

Light's face froze in deep concentration, and then he recited the same set of instructions and codes Beyond just told him. He lost count of how many sets Beyond drilled him on, but so far his renowned intellect hadn't let him down, and he was certain he'd still know everything when he had the opportunity to implement them.

"I see the title of "Japan's best student" isn't an empty one," Beyond murmured. He reached for a box of cookies and immediately began devouring them one by one, but stopped long enough to offer Light one. The teen declined, and Beyond shrugged and ate that cookie, too, descending into his sober, thoughtful expression once again.

"A shame this'll be over so soon. I was having fun, too."

"Why? Because you're going to be captured?" Light asked sarcastically.

"No. If Watari's as smart as I think he is, he won't make such a drastic move. Then again, desperation can be a powerful motivator."

Beyond sighed, still curled up in his peculiar sitting position.

"I wonder if desperation will drive L tonight…"

"Desperation?" Light repeated.

Beyond said nothing else on the subject, instead eating one more cookie before putting down the box and, for the first time since their initial encounter with each other, untied the cords that bound Light's feet together. Even though his hands were still captive behind his back, the caramel-haired teen nearly sighed with relief as Beyond helped him to his feet; he almost forgot the luxury of standing up.

Unfortunately, no sooner did he accomplish this feat did Beyond pick up a piece of red cloth and wrap it twice around his eyes, fastening it in a tight knot.

"Insurance," Beyond explained simply. "Now let's go; we don't want to make the SIS-L wait, now do we?"

* * *

2:26 AM.

Matsuda stared out of the windshield of the car blankly, Mogi sitting behind the steering wheel, blinking once in a while but still keeping a vigilant eye on the one street that bypassed the Hama Rikyu Garden and what little they could see of the Tsukiji fish market's outer perimeter.

He may not have been the sharpest of the team, but even Matsuda found little value in keeping a lookout at a location like this. There were many alleyways surrounding the open warehouse space; it was a veritable maze, and a few of the alleys were wide enough for cars to go in. Also given that the area was deserted now, it was doubtful the kidnapper would park in such an obvious spot.

Still, anything was possible, and despite the seriousness of the situation, he could barely stifle the rush of adrenaline pumping through his bloodstream. To think—the epicenter of the case of the missing superdetective L was taking place right in Japan.

As the young investigator fiddled with his earpiece for the sixth time, a green taxi passed them by. This wouldn't have been noticeable if not for the fact that it was practically _crawling_ along the road.

Matsuda immediately touched his earpiece.

"Matsuda in. Suspicious vehicle near Hama Rikyu Garden. It's a taxi."

"..._Has it stopped? Any sign of the occupants?_"

"Stand by." He turned to Mogi. "I'm going in for a closer look."

Mogi nodded, and Matsuda opened the door and climbed out. With as much stealth as he could muster, he walked up to the edge of the sidewalk and squeezed himself behind a tree. Double-checking his surroundings, he peered around the bend. The taxi had indeed stopped on the curb, and the occupants were already out.

…Occupants?

"There's two people getting out. One male, one female. Female has a leather jacket and long hair. Looks like she's in her mid to late twenties. Male has messy black hair, white shirt, and jeans. He has a strange walk, almost like his back is hurt…also looks to be in his mid-twenties…wait…okay, they walked around the main warehouse and entered an alleyway on the east side."

The pause this time seemed to be longer than the first, and at the same time, Matsuda couldn't help but notice that the female looked strangely familiar…

"_Watari in. This is most likely Mitsuko Ona, but I'm not sure about the male. Everyone stay on high alert._"

"_Penber in. Yagami and I have reached the south end. Requesting confirmation of Mitsuko Ona's arrival._"

"Affirmative," Matsuda and Watari whispered.

"_I'm going in, then._"

"_Affirmative_," Watari said. "_Penber has exited his car. Drop-off has begun. Everyone maintain silence unless someone spots the kidnapper._"

_Where do I know her?_, Matsuda thought frantically, the image of the woman stubbornly glued to the forefront of his memory. The two he'd been watching had already disappeared, so he quickly ran back to where Mogi was waiting.

"Hey Mogi, you still got a picture of Misora?" he asked, scrambling back into the car.

Mogi looked at him quizzically, but he dug around until he found a manila folder in the backseat and passed it to him. Hurriedly, Matsuda flipped open the folder, nearly spilling its contents, and shuffled through the papers until he found the picture.

His eyes widened.

"M-Matsuda in! Emergency situation!"

* * *

_Naomi?_

Raye's eyes widened as he heard Matsuda's frenetic announcement, and irrational fear forced his legs into a brisk jog. All around him were narrow corridors, small stacks of crates and two-by-fours, the lingering odor of raw fish and octopus. The half-moon languishing in the sky cast still shadows everywhere, transforming the empty fish market into an unsavory labyrinth.

And Naomi was possibly somewhere in this labyrinth.

But Naomi was supposed to have been kidnapped.

He turned a bend and entered an alley barely wide enough for three people standing side-by-side…a place that felt like he left Tokyo entirely and entered a bizarre parallel universe. Somewhere above his head, protruding from two opposing building fronts, were a fish's head and a giraffe's head.

Directly in front of him was an even more peculiar sight—Naomi.

And next to her, the male Matsuda described. Just like the description, he was wearing a white shirt with baggy jeans. Ratty tennis shoes covered his feet, a nest of black hair covered the top of his head, and were it not for the faint glow of far-off streetlamps and moonlight, the dark bags under his eyes would have gone unnoticed.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"You must be Raye Penber. I am L."

The bold, terse statement sent Raye reeling—so much so that he even took an actual step backwards.

"_L?_ Wha…what's going on?" Raye demanded, his desperate eyes shooting back and forth from L to his emotionless fiancée, searching for an explanation.

"You."

A slightly higher and scathing voice cut through the air. Raye immediately turned around, hand going for a concealed gun holster provided to him personally by Watari.

At the intersection from which Raye just entered the alleyway a few seconds ago, there now stood another man, this one in a black hoodie and jeans. The hood was pulled back behind his head, revealing hair similar to L's. However, his face was marred not by dark bags, but from patches of second- and third-degree burns. One of the man's arms tightly gripped the back of the person who was with him—Light, the red blindfold around his eyes now removed, his hands still tied behind his back.

The "you" remark came from the L-lookalike, who was now marching straight towards the bewildered Raye, but it had been directed at L.

"What are you doing here?" Beyond demanded. Up until now Naomi had tried to keep her calm, but she'd never seen that much anger (or surprise) in Beyond's eyes before, not even the night when he sneaked into her apartment after she and L discovered the thesis.

"I'll explain that later," L responded, "but first I owe Misora's fiancé an apology."

L took a small step forward, finally forcing Raye to turn his back on Beyond.

"Despite the fact that she willingly agreed to come with me, this was a kidnapping nevertheless. I, however, was never kidnapped; I left Watari's side of my own volition and kept my whereabouts private due to a situation which had grown almost completely out of my control, partly because of the person currently standing behind you, and ultimately I succumbed to stress and turned to Misora for help once again. If you're looking for Mitsuko Ona…this is her."

Raye's eyes widened even further.

"I wanted her to make contact with the SIS-L on my behalf for personal reasons, but before the situation could come to a perfect close, Light Yagami was kidnapped, and Misora valiantly used the alias I forced upon her to make a decision of her own right, and that was to try and rescue Light, which she pretty much accomplished."

Leaving Raye with that explanation, L turned his attention to his nemesis.

"I'll admit this: I'm not as suitable a criminal as you are, so I'm turning myself in to the SIS-L and going to Watari to settle the matter. I suppose this means I've lost. But if I've lost, that means you no longer have a reason to continue this game. Therefore, you also lose."

The ensuing silence was virtually crushing everyone's ears. Beyond stood in his place for what felt like forever, his grip on Light having somewhat loosened, but even Light was too baffled to try and escape.

Then Light hissed as Beyond's grip suddenly became a vice.

* * *

"What the hell's going on?" Ukita hissed.

While the sound wasn't perfect, the entire conversation in the alley thus far had been picked up by everyone in the SIS-L, including Ukita and Aizawa.

"I don't know. Watari should've had us make a move by now…"

* * *

_So L showed up on his own…_

Watari stood outside Ide's car, overseeing the blockade at the Kachidokibashi Bridge, also aware of the new developments that just occurred within the Tsukiji fish market…and even more aware of the deeper implications.

He knew right from the moment Matsuda described the male. Everything from the shirt to the crippled-like gait fit L's description to a T.

And his other suspicion about Mitsuko Ona was also correct.

But what did L mean to prove by returning now? Was he looking for a truce?

The communicator gave him silence.

Then…

Someone shouting something angrily to someone else…L's composed voice…another rage-filled reply, and then…mad scuffling…more shouts and grumbles…

"Penber, what is your status?" Watari asked. No answer. From inside the car, Ide glanced up at the older man's tipped fedora.

"Penber—"

At that moment, a gunshot cruelly interrupted Watari's request, and Ide jumped in his seat.

"_Yagami in! Shot fired! I'm going out to back up Penber!_"

(End Chapter 21)


	22. Extinction

Title: Silent Consonant

By: Dr. Kim-chan

Author's Note: Sorry it took a while, but like I'd leave you all with a cliffhanger like that! No way was I putting this on hiatus! (I'd like to absolve my previous sins, thank you very much.) I _did_ have a bit of trouble figuring out the outcome, though (and you won't even know the full story behind what happened at Tsukiji quite yet; that'll be another chapter). I started Chapter 21 thinking I'd know right then and there, then, bam, I end up cutting to the SIS-L. (For all those who think I have complete control over this story—I don't. I do have a few plot points I want to stick to, but for the most part I tend to make up things on the fly.)

Oh, and a Special Announcement: My other fic, "Ronin Note", will resume shortly, so look out for that! I'm still not sure on "Bakery Boys", though.

But enough about my creative problems; I'm sure you're impatient enough as it is…

* * *

For all this talk of fate, L couldn't help but notice that his current surroundings, as well as the means by which this so-called game had come to a head…it was as if he'd been taken full circle, right back to his encounter with Beyond at that California prison.

And it was slightly ironic. Here he was, someone who knew the ins and outs of the legal system, yet these handcuffs holding his arms securely behind his back was an exotic experience. Not that he could complain, but the novelty of cold steel bumping against his fragile wrists every few seconds had already worn itself thin, and it distorted his usual preferred position. The strain on his shoulders forced him to sit up straighter, and he didn't dare try and sit crouched on his hind legs; his feet were firmly planted on the floor below his chair.

Even the room itself lent to the nerve-racking atmosphere. A low-wattage bulb cast faint white splotches on all the metal, concrete, and laminate surfaces, making more shadow than light. The thick walls, with a medium-sized dark pane of two-way glass installed in one of them, were testament to the fact that the room was used for interrogations. An archaic surveillance camera kept watch in a corner of the ceiling.

Except for the cuffs, things were going as planned, and even then he believed it further validated this somewhat tragic farce. As he said, technically, he _did _kidnap Naomi.

At the sudden thought, L's thoughts dampened, and he briefly bowed his head.

_Misora…_

He perked his ears up at the metallic jangle of the doorknob, and then the door itself creaked open.

Even as his eyes locked with Watari for the first time in months, L didn't blink or flinch.

He was used to looking danger in the face.

Emitting a hum (whether it was a hum of disappointment, curiosity, or satisfaction, L couldn't tell, and the fact that he couldn't was a bit worrying), Watari closed the door behind him and sat in the only other chair in the room.

"So am I being charged?" L asked, cutting through the awkward silence and getting right to the point.

Watari's mustache twitched.

"It'll depend. First we need to receive a statement from Miss Misora, but even with her testimony, there wouldn't be much more substantial evidence other than your own confession. And even then, we're only discussing what occurred here in this country. There's no question the rancor of the other governments will be raised once it's revealed that not only have you been found, but you left of your own volition…France in particular, since I practically forced them to turn the DGSE upside down."

As if he was getting ready to apologize, Watari sighed, interlocked the fingers of both his hands and placed his wrists flat on the table.

"I'd certainly like to avoid that unpleasantness, and if your claim of working under stress is true, then we may dismiss it as a nervous breakdown and exercise further media control."

L blinked once, then lowered his head again.

"I'm guessing by your answer that you hope for me to resume my responsibilities as detective," he said flatly.

"That would be the ideal outcome, yes…but before we discuss that, I must be honest and tell you that my primary reason for coming in here and taking the opportunity to talk to you is that I wished to conduct an interrogation of my own. However, what we'll be discussing will not pertain to tonight's events, and there is no one behind that piece of two-way glass. Neither is the camera behind me recording any of this. The SIS-L's involvement can only stretch so far."

With that, Watari kept his hands exactly where they were and leaned forward.

"If it was your intention to not be discovered until you accomplished your objective, why didn't you make a better attempt to cover your tracks?"

"I expected to return to France sooner," L answered. "I didn't think Beyond's intentions were as serious as he revealed them to be."

"I see..." Watari murmured.

Moving his hands again, he glanced up at the younger detective under bushy, salt-colored eyebrows. The simple change in expression was dramatic…and worrying.

"And on the subject of Beyond, his actions speak more on the true intent and purpose of your disappearance—and subsequent return—than your own. His kidnapping of Light Yagami right after Ona joined forces with the SIS-L, his feeble attempt to speak on your behalf, his choice of words in his videos, the willingness to make it evident that he knew inside information about the SIS-L and myself, and ultimately, his demand for Mitsuko Ona—Misora—to meet with Penber at Tsukiji tonight, which I assume was a maneuver to eliminate her from his plan completely…"

He lifted his chin slightly.

"He told you about the elite project."

L's heart skipped a beat, but he remained adamant.

"…Yes."

"But that alone wasn't his motivation, or yours. Beyond has as much of an understanding about your personality as I do, and I know about the both of you. Simply being told that you are the product of an on-going project would not be enough to deter you from your work…and now that I know that Naomi Misora was Ona, then I must also assume I told her that I received some information from the SIS-L France Branch, which pertains to my previous comment about the DGSE."

The two associates' eyes met again.

"Two people arrived at the orphanage in Winchester claiming to be agents from the DGSE, working with you on the Black Hexagon case," Watari continued. "You even called the orphanage yourself. Also, according to Roger, they picked up some vital data from one of the computers in the library, and even though Roger kept them under strict surveillance, their actions looked to be legitimate. Then, just as Roger and I attempt to validate the agents' identities, the footage is erased from the records. That's the only piece of the puzzle that I cannot seem to make fit."

"And you were hoping I could?"

Watari nodded. "This _is _an interrogation, after all."

"It's not much of an interrogation," L criticized. "You followed simple logical processes and came to a reasonable conclusion—in my opinion, the _only_ reasonable conclusion. The only thing needed is a first-hand account from me."

L released an inaudible sigh.

"Misora was involved a long time before this. After I left France, I arrived in Los Angeles just prior to Beyond's escape. He sent me a series of clues, and I was forced to act in accordance with his rules, one of them being to confront him without you. Another rule was that I could receive help with his permission, and the first person he brought me in contact with was Misora. We briefly worked together and found the first piece of evidence Beyond wanted to present to me—"

"My graduate thesis."

L looked up, surprised.

"Cambridge contacted me, saying that someone attending UCLA had borrowed a copy of the thesis from their library, but it was returned. Some time after I graduated, I struck an agreement with them, and I entrusted them with maintaining a careful watch on the thesis, but for diverse reasons I couldn't bar the thesis from being borrowed and distributed. Then again, with a few exceptions, it was not meant to be discovered that Watari and Quillish Wammy were one and the same."

He waved his hand. "Please, continue."

"Afterwards, Beyond sent me to New York and Italy to contract Wedy and Aiber, and with their assistance I used them to infiltrate the server at the orphanage. I was supposed to retrieve more information regarding the project you outlined in your thesis."

"And I have only one other method by which I record the progress and my personal thoughts on the project," Watari interrupted again.

He stood up and began to pace the room very slowly, and from his mouth came the one thing L had been half-hoping and half-fearing to hear ever since he left Aiber behind in London.

"In a separate server, kept under high-level security, are archives of text files I've written, documenting every subject considered for becoming "the ideal elite" since your own arrival at the orphanage twenty years ago…A, Beyond, and your three current successors."

L said nothing.

"As I said, based on your actions, it wouldn't have been the thesis alone that would have spurred you on like this. However, there may have been a few entries which, I'm sorry to say, might have disturbed you."

L still stayed quiet.

"This then brings us to the matter of the reason why you decided to return. Foiling Beyond's plan might have been your reason for doing so, but you rarely, if ever, have only one singular reason for doing anything."

Finally given his chance, L spoke.

"Beyond was the secondary consideration. I turned myself in mainly because I wanted to make an appeal. I want to continue to be a detective."

A short silence.

"And you wouldn't have thought to turn yourself in if you didn't think you had the slimmest chance of negotiating with me. So you wish to negotiate?"

"Yes. I have no objection to being considered a project, but the fact remains I am a project capable of independent thought and self-awareness. I don't think you or I can completely eradicate that hindrance, but if you truly think it's becoming a problem, we can try to work together."

The room went quiet again as Watari stopped pacing, turned and faced the door.

"So you're saying that it would be impossible for you to for change?"

L suddenly stopped responding, wary of the direction the conversation was taking. Watari turned his head.

"You're aware of evolutionary theory. Then you must know that when subjects can no longer adapt, they fall into extinction. The same for inorganic items—technical and functional obsolescence occurs when new technology supersedes old technology or when the technology no longer functions as it did when it was first created."

Watari turned back to the door.

"Another thing I told Misora—and therefore you as well—was that I also involved your successors in this case. I did it initially to avoid releasing any sensitive information to the SIS-L, but as I observed their actions, it has given credence to the possibility that an elite can function without investing so much personal subjectivity into their actions, nor do they give thought to what they themselves are putting at stake. Even though Mello, Matt, and Near have a distinct attachment to you, they put those feelings aside and operated with the utmost efficiency. It has also allowed for a breakthrough—now I feel comfortable with deviating from my thesis and creating a 'group elite'."

L's breathing grew ragged as his throat began to close, the slightest aggravation of his altered sitting position starting to pick at his psyche.

He couldn't be hearing this.

He couldn't be…

"You said you hoped for me to return to my duties," L rebuked, the smallest hint of desperation leaking into his voice.

"I did say it would be the ideal outcome, but if I may be frank with you, L, you surrendered the ability to negotiate when you left France to pursue Beyond," Watari said, but his kindly tone made the statement that much more surreal. "I would ask why you didn't simply come back to France and confront me then, but—"

"I'm sorry if I offended you," L interrupted again, his voice now stiff. "But I didn't believe I would get an honest answer from you if I went back to France right away. The only reason I asked for Misora's help again was so that we would eventually meet and have the same conversation we're having now, and _then_ you would give me an honest answer."

"As I thought…that is another one of your traits I could not overlook. I wanted you to be wary of your surroundings and those who work with you, but evidently your mistrust has grown to the point where it has clouded your judgment. Yes, I worry about the potential reaction of my subjects should they become aware of their status as subjects, but there would have been no reason for me to lie otherwise, if for no other reason than to avoid everything that has transpired here. It is not the project itself from which I fear ridicule, but the evil of the subjects' self-realization and the subsequent existential crisis which, like a domino effect, gives rise to imbalance in the world, and thus gives rise to a need for elites. In pursuing the truth about yourself, you've destroyed yourself."

The room fell into silence again, but this silence was absolutely intolerable…and it was incomplete, as the one sound either man could hear was the slight shaking of L's handcuffs. Watari glanced over his shoulder and saw the young man's eyes wide—a haunting flashback of himself at five years old, when he first came to the orphanage, when he still had all the potential of the world.

So this was what L looked like when he lost.

Like a lost orphan.

"Semantics aside, I raised you, L, so I know what you're thinking at this very moment," Watari muttered. "You are a subject, and yet you are a person, and the simple fact that you know you are a person means that you possess free will…an ability to create a new future for yourself despite your misgivings and the extreme ends to which your intelligence and abilities are specialized. And you'll try whatever's necessary. But you are a subject, first and foremost, and you returned with full understanding of that. Consequently, you were prepared to relinquish your free will. You cannot be two things for the simple sake of opportunism."

"…But…"

L's voice started to shake.

"But doesn't that depend on who the subject is? Animals don't have an awareness of free will, and neither do machines, but—"

"And what are humans but highly evolved animals, perfect models of form and function?"

L's head shot up, having never once heard such sharpness in the elderly gentleman's voice before.

"In politics, in religion, in social constructs…despite the presence of self-awareness and free will, there is a pervading trend. For the sake of making sense of their lives amid the confusion that self-awareness brings, people willingly put their trust in higher authority. For that same reason, the blind cannot lead the blind."

L bit down on his quivering lip, but Watari still wasn't finished.

"I'll proceed with presenting the results of this case to the SIS-L and Interpol. The official statement will be that you suffered from stress as a direct result of Beyond's escape from prison and subsequent attempts on your life. The SIS-L will continue to work together to catch Beyond and return him to Los Angeles, but after that, the SIS-L will be officially disbanded. Naomi Misora won't be charged, and she and Raye will return to Los Angeles and be placed under the Los Angeles Branch's protection until Beyond is returned to prison."

Watari put his hand on the doorknob and twisted it, cracking the door open by an inch, letting in a light that illuminated his crinkled face.

"As for your successors, I will instate them as a group elite, inform them of your retirement, and the project will go on. As for you—"

The last words came as a death knell.

"You are hereby stripped of your title as 'L' and your responsibilities as detective."

"Watari…"

L's mind went blank, and he automatically began to speak—not as a detective, not as a negotiator, but as someone frightened, someone scared, a final desperate plea. Where this new voice was coming from, he didn't know. He didn't even know why he was calling out; all of this should have served as a reality.

But this _was_ his reality.

Without Naomi, without Wedy and Aiber…without government assistance, without anyone…he was just L.

And all that was left was Watari.

This was the only person who knew L, the only person who had any authority to help him. He couldn't have heard any of this; he couldn't have lost.

He never lost.

"Watari…"

The rattle of his handcuffs grew louder, his voice growing more insistent and strident, but none of this seemed to reach the older man's ears. He opened the door wider and stepped out.

"Watari…Watari…Watari…!"

The door closed.

"_WATARI!_"

* * *

"Are you all right?"

Raye stepped into the brilliantly white room, sidestepping the nurse who had showed him in and was just now leaving. On the paper-lined, metal-edged hospital bed, Naomi sat, propped up by pillows. The sleeve of her thin black turtleneck was rolled up to reveal her bandage-wrapped upper arm, the needle of an IV penetrating the spot below her shoulder.

Naomi gave him a thin smile.

"I'm fine. It was just a graze."

Raye returned the smile, and then the two fell silent, both trying to think of a way not to tiptoe around the subject, but thankfully for them, Naomi barely tiptoed.

"I'm sorry."

Raye raised an eyebrow, taken by surprise at the apology, but he'd had time to think about all of this, and he was ready to respond.

"No. It wasn't your fault," he muttered. He stepped over to the side of the bed and sat down on the edge. "It's just…I thought it was over after Beyond was put in prison."

"Yeah…me too."

Naomi turned away from her fiancé and stared out at the window on the opposite side of the room. The vivid dark blue of twilight warned anyone who was awake that daytime was soon approaching. It was almost as if the whole night had been nothing but a dream, but they were in a hospital (and somewhere on this same floor, Light was in another room), so it had to be true.

Beyond was still free. She was no longer Mitsuko Ona. With any luck, she and Raye would return to Los Angeles and get married.

But L…did he have such choices anymore?

People _can change their fate, Misora…not experiments._

"…But you're no ordinary experiment."

Raye shot her a confused glance. "What?"

Naomi shook her head.

"Nothing."

(End Chapter 22)


	23. Lies As White As Cyanide

Title: Silent Consonant

By: Dr. Kim-chan

Author's Note: Wow. So I assume there is absolutely _no_ love for Watari whatsoever. (dusts hands off) Well, I accomplished my objective.

While thinking about the direction the story would take after last chapter, I came upon a couple of revelations. First, given the direction "Silent Consonant" has taken the Death Note plot, doesn't this technically make Watari the new Kira? (shudders)

Second, I found out that a couple of people didn't like Watari even _before_ they read this fic. I didn't think Watari was that much of a threat at first—I just thought he was a kindly old man who helped L out. Then I wondered…why would he put so much effort in making detectives? No one goes through that much trouble without an ulterior motive. Also given that Watari was an inventor, and…well, two and two make four.

Now, since you all love my clues so much, I'm going to give you your own mystery to solve. Now take the following into consideration:

A reviewer asked me if L's current dilemma meant that Beyond won. In a word, no; remember in Chapter 21 that Beyond got angry at L. But do you know why? PM me with your theories, and next chapter I'll analyze and pick the correct one.

Now on with the story!

* * *

The converted office was maddeningly quiet, with Loud, Carter, and Bullook having retired to the hotel rooms Watari reserved for them a week ago.

Despite keeping their cell phones on and open in case of any type of need or emergency, the three agents still took extra precaution and charged two other employees working overnight at the FBI field office with keeping watch over the three boys (and nothing more than that, as was the agreement between them and Watari). Meanwhile, L's successors had opted to stay and remain dedicated to deciphering the few clues they'd been able to scrounge up; if they slept at all, it would be in their office chairs.

Bullook could barely believe it, and had wanted to stay behind, but her offer was politely declined by Near (and not so politely declined by Mello.) With only chocolate, video games, and sheer perseverance to fuel them, the pre-teens could be left alone with mountains of electronic equipment and sensitive data and do in one night what she and her two male colleagues could do in a week.

But hopefully the pressure would be off everyone shoulders soon.

Mello sat in a corner by himself, his eyes glued to a computer monitor. Matt hung around close to him, looking over various documents while giving equal attention to a first-person shooter, and Near sat off by himself, but the blond gave no consideration to any of them. He couldn't.

During his visit to the California State Prison in Corcoran, he and Bullook discovered four-year old footage from one of the facility's interrogation rooms.

An interrogation between L and Beyond.

After being told the story of the Los Angeles BB Murder Cases first-hand, and going over L's words again and again in his mind, it was both surreal and fascinating to see the former successor-turned-serial killer on video.

But what was even more disturbing was the dialogue.

Every once in a while, Mello would raise an eyebrow and click on the "Rewind" button to play back something he believed had greater meaning.

Click.

"…_even if I spoon-fed you the answer, you'd just treat it as another bit of data and continue to function like the automaton you are…_"

Click.

"_So this is the true face of L? Thoughtlessly chasing after challenges and riddles, searching for truth…even when you yourself are a lie…_"

Click.

"…_and once you take the bite from the apple, you take full responsibility for being thrown out of Eden._"

Click.

"_A's death. He killed himself because he had no choices…_"

Click.

"That would certainly give strength to Beyond's motive…"

Mello jumped, then turned around and glared as he saw Near looming over his shoulder. His first thought was to snap at the younger boy, but Beyond's words still lingered in his mind, which turned his retort into a solemn question.

"What? That Beyond thinks L's responsible for A's suicide…that's kinda irrational, isn't it?" Mello muttered. "Yeah, A killed himself because he didn't think he could be like L, but to do all this for some stupid grudge?"

"Beyond's rationale differs from others. And there's still the fact that L left France because he wanted to. Obviously, he left because Beyond posed a challenge to him, and I doubt Beyond went through all this trouble just to make L feel guilty."

Near stepped around so that he was closer to the monitor.

"Go back to 2:47."

Mello huffed a little, indignant that Near gave him an order, but he obliged.

Click.

"…_and given the choice between carrying such an indignity with me for the rest of my life and exposing it at the cost of my own destruction…well, I've never been one to be submissive…_"

Pause.

"Indignity…" Near repeated to himself.

"He's talking about A's death again, isn't he?" Mello said tiredly.

"I don't think so."

Mello shot Near another glare, but Near continued with his exposition.

"He said he risked 'exposing _it_ at the cost of his own destruction'. He can't be talking about A's suicide in itself; that's not a secret. Everyone at the orphanage knew that. He might be talking about the underlying reason for A's suicide…something that not even L knew, which is possible. L wasn't at the orphanage when the suicide occured, and he didn't know A that well, but Beyond did."

Mello swallowed, the unpleasant sensation of his heart dropping affecting his ability to eat his chocolate bar.

"Wait a minute. So you're saying A's suicide…may not have been a suicide?"

"I don't think we can jump to that conclusion, but it's something to keep in mind."

Both kids fell silent and continued to watch the video.

"…_I take it Watari's with you._"

"_Yes._"

"_Then that changes things._"

"_So you're not going to tell me?_"

"_I'll tell you, but not now. When the time's right. It'll give us something to look forward to for the next few years._"

Mello paused it again. "He's gotta be talking about what's happening now…but that doesn't make sense. So Beyond planned this all out four years ago?"

"At the very least, we can assume Beyond wanted to disclose some information to L. But what we should pay more attention to is the fact that Beyond didn't want to say anything in front of Watari. Whether that was the reason he waited four years, I don't know, but L _did _leave France just as Watari briefly left for England, so that wasn't coincidence, either. If Beyond also reserved the flight from France for L in advance, then Beyond probably also made it clear he didn't want Watari involved."

Mello took another bite of chocolate and turned to glance at Matt, who hadn't been paying attention the entire time.

"…Hey, do you remember what Matt said, back in Roger's office?"

"Yes. He said L wouldn't have gone through all this unless it was _really _important. I was thinking about that, too. We could write all this off as just another one of Beyond's elaborate plans, or that he wanted to separate L from Watari just because it would make it easier to get to L, but this is too much trouble to go through just to reveal any usual type of information, even for Beyond. In fact, it's too much trouble to go through to kill..."

"Well, that's great and all, but you didn't explain how A's death has to do with any of this," Mello criticized.

"…I'm not sure. I would say it's simply a personal grudge, since A and Beyond were reportedly close, but that could've been settled with the Wara Ningyo Murders, and this is far more complex than that."

Mello pouted and leaned into the table, letting various thoughts cross his mind. Well, if Near didn't have a clue, maybe this really was a hopeless quagmire only Beyond or L could solve.

Finally, one thought stuck, nagging at his mind until he carelessly spoke it out loud.

"Maybe this doesn't have to do with A at all. Maybe it has to do with L and Watari…"

_Beep._

"Hey guys, Watari's patching through."

Near and Mello tore away from their computer and rolled over to where Matt was sitting. Matt clicked on the link, opening the window displaying the live video feed.

"What happened?!" Mello asked earnestly, all but bent over Matt's left shoulder, and for the first time, Near could understand his excitement. The last time they spoke to Watari, the SIS-L Japan Branch had been preparing for the hostage drop-off at Tsukiji fish market. With varying degrees of anticipation, the three teens had been waiting for the developments. If the news was good, they had taken back Light Yagami and Naomi Misora, and would find out more on the whereabouts of L and Beyond. Of somewhat equal importance was the identity of Mitsuko Ona, the mysterious detective who knew all about L.

If the news was bad…

"_We've recovered Misora and Yagami's son. However, a scuffle broke out during the drop-off, and Misora was injured as a result. We've also confirmed that Beyond was the kidnapper, but he escaped and is still at large._"

"Is Misora okay?" Matt asked.

"_As far as I know, yes, and so is Light. We expect to take a statement from them today. But what is more important is exactly who Beyond tried to kill._"

An extremely long pause.

"…_L._"

Matt almost dropped his handheld game console, and nearly got crumpled in half as Mello leaned fully over his shoulder, and in a rare instance, Near's eyes widened to betray the emotion of complete shock.

"_L?!_ L was there?! L's alive?!"

Watari nodded solemnly.

"_Furthermore, Mitsuko Ona and Naomi Misora were one in the same._"

Mello's mouth hung open, and the shock he felt was more or less the same with Near and Matt.

"_This is all I know of the situation at the moment_," Watari continued, taking advantage of the silence. "_Apparently, Misora wasn't taken by Beyond, but by L. They were working together in order to continue whatever enterprise L and Beyond began a few months ago in Los Angeles, and L also wanted to make contact with the SIS-L to obtain some information. Whatever L's motive was, I'm not certain, but allegedly Beyond knew Ona was Misora the entire time._"

"That would explain how Ona knew all about L and the Wara Ningyo Murders," Matt interrupted. "It also explains how the timing between Misora missing and Ona showing up was too perfect."

"Then the hostage drop-off must have also been a set-up," Near muttered. "If Beyond knew Ona was Misora, that would also explain why he wanted Penber to show up alone. He might have intended to come with the hostage, but his real goal was to eliminate Misora from the game…"

"Forget that!" Mello cut in. "Is L okay?! Why'd Beyond try to kill him?!"

"_My only guess is that Beyond didn't expect L to show up at the drop-off, and that may have foiled his plan somehow. As for L…I am quite worried. It is not so much his physical health, but his mental health._"

Mello's forehead wrinkled up in confusion—as if he could be any more confused than he was right now.

"_I talked with L the previous evening. Whatever Beyond's intentions were, all the efforts L has taken in these past couple of months, plus his irrational actions concerning Misora and the SIS-L Japan Branch, leads me to believe he's been put under enormous stress. I'll take him to England in a couple of days so he can be evaluated by proper physicians. In the meantime, please stay alert to the possibility that all three of you will take over in his place._"

"Replace…? Wait. All three of us?" Mello repeated.

"_Yes. I am very satisfied with the way you all have handled yourselves in the case thus far, despite the rather hectic circumstances and the way you were called in on such short notice_," Watari explained. "_I would prefer that the three of you continue to work together as a group, and should you indeed replace L in the near future, this would be even more advantageous._"

"…Got it," Mello said begrudgingly. Matt gave a slight nod in affirmation, and Near also voiced his comprehension of the situation.

"_After we get our statement from Misora, she and Penber will be returning to Los Angeles, but until we capture Beyond, they're by no means safe. I'll ask the Los Angeles Branch to keep them under surveillance while the Japan Branch continues looking for Beyond. Hopefully he hasn't already made it out of the country. In the meantime, stand by for further orders, and I'll contact you again once Misora and Penber arrive."_

"Understood."

* * *

"Roger Ruvie…"

"_This is Watari._"

"Ah, yes. Hello, Watari. How has the search been progressing?"

"…"

Roger kept the phone glued to his ear as Watari gave him the full explanation. Behind him, outside the high-vaulted windows, the wind blew hard, clouds obscuring the sky, almost mirroring what Roger felt like inside. Like Watari, it wasn't so much concern for L, but regret that yet another promising stage of the elite project had to come to an end. They would continue to try, of course, but Roger could barely comprehend what would happen if Near, Mello, and Matt didn't work out as well…

"I see," Roger whispered after a long moment. "What do you plan to do, then?"

Another long pause, and then Roger sighed.

"I see…we'll attribute it to psychiatric issues, then…well, I don't believe it'll matter either way. It can be easily administered, and an overdose would cause both psychosis and congestive heart failure, and considering his medical past…yes. Yes, I understand. I'll make all the arrangements, then. So should I assume Near, Mello, and Matt are staying in Los Angeles…I understand. All right, I'll see you in a couple of days, then. Goodbye."

* * *

The huddled figure stared forlornly around the hotel room. A couple of laptops were still sitting on the coffee table, cables trailing towards the plugs set into the walls. Aside from a few other pieces of electronics and a crumb-dotted dish, the room was practically immaculate.

_I see you still can't stop yourself from lying…_

The young man's own heated words echoed back to him, all the way back from the previous evening at the Tsukiji fish market.

_I'm not lying._

That was L's response, but it had been an empty platitude, spoken in his usual, nonchalant manner. Any other time, any other place, any other situation, and Beyond would have let it go.

And yet…since they crossed paths in Winchester...no, since after the Los Angeles BB Murder Cases, this had become more than a mere game. As he said at the graveyard, it was no longer B versus L. It was B and L versus fate.

And L, in all his pride, had rejected everything. By showing up at the hostage drop-off with Naomi, he had effectively denied ever participating in this game...he denied reading the thesis, reading the text files...denied looking at Watari for what he really was.

And he denied A's death. Again.

And that was unforgivable.

_You're committing suicide if you go back to Watari! A already committed suicide! You don't deserve to be buried next to him!_

In a brief moment of irrationality that even defied Beyond's standards, he pushed Light off to the side, made a mad grab for Raye Penber's gun, and had attempted to shoot the detective. But before he could get a clean shot in, Misora had used her capoiera skills and dove to the concrete ground before using the arches of her feet to gain some leverage and block Beyond's way. She suffered an injured shoulder, but she succeeded in saving L's life, and without any further choice, Beyond left the scene, gun still in hand.

A bit of regret tugged at him for overreacting in such a manner, but what was done was done. Everything he'd done so far had more or less been working in his favor. Even as L lay somewhere, hopeless, and he stood here in the room where he and Naomi had stayed cooped up in for the past week, and as Naomi sat in a hospital bed, all their thoughts were on each other.

And those thoughts, like interlocked strings, would draw themselves together.

"You rejected free will for fate," Beyond muttered, addressing an absent L. "So we're enemies again."

He sighed, and the room stayed eerily silent.

"Misora may no longer be Mitsuko Ona, but her fate still stays tied to you. She's far from stupid; I know she figured everything out by now."

Beyond set down the duffel bag he brought with him and began collecting all that he needed, and his trademark smirk began to return to his disfigured face.

"But she remains on my side, the side of free will. She didn't let me kill you tonight--and that may have been the smartest thing she ever did--and certainly she won't just return to Los Angeles and do nothing. After all…your three successors are also in Los Angeles, aren't they?"

(End Chapter 23)


	24. Questions and Answers

Title: Silent Consonant

By: Dr. Kim-chan

Author's Note: In Chapter 17, I got to fifty reviews. Now, only _seven chapters later_, I'm at a hundred and one (partly due to Chapters 19 and 22, which got an amazing 10 and 12 reviews, respectively)! WTF?! You guys are awesome, especially Art Is A Blast for reaching this historic mark. This chapter's for you, Art. I also changed the story summary just for the occasion. How do you guys like it?

Anyway…_darn Light!_ He's like a weirdly-shaped brick I can't fit in the right spot! I do want him to get more involved with L, but I don't want to make it feel forced and unrealistic (to me, it was already a bit of a stretch having Beyond kidnap Light, but then again fate works in mysterious ways), and things are only getting more complicated with Watari and L going to England and Naomi and Raye going back to L.A. I was like, "What the heck's going on?!" But then I remembered four things:

1. Obviously, Light and Beyond still have their connection. The plan Beyond _originally_ had in mind was flubbed by L, but Beyond's ALWAYS prepared…

2. There's a couple of characters I totally forgot about until now.

3. Quote from Chapter 15: "_I can't really explain the situation in its entirety, partly because I myself am not absolutely sure what is going on, and I hope to discover the true forces at work when all is said and done. __**Also, if what I suspect turns out to be true, it would put you at risk if I fail to execute this plan successfully.**_"

4. Raye Penber's ears.

Enjoy how that'll all tie together in the next few chapters.

* * *

"Are you sure you're up to this, Light?"

"Yeah, Dad, I'm fine."

Soichiro's face never relaxed out of its worried expression, but without further objections, he and Light continued walking down a long, isolated hallway on the fifth floor of the NPA building.

If nothing else, the fact that he was ready to testify despite his ordeal convinced the police chief that his son was more than ready to pursue his dreams of becoming part of the Japanese police force. No question Light would also want to return to his high school routine despite the potential onslaught of public attention, then move on to take the To-Oh exams.

As they finally reached their destination--an interrogation room at the end of the hall--Light looked up to see an elderly man in a tailored trench coat standing beside an open door, his fedora in his gloved hands as if it were bad manners to do otherwise.

"Ah, good morning, Mr. Yagami," he greeted, referring to Light. "I'm glad to see you're well. My name is Watari."

The teenager's eyebrow arched up. The man's Japanese was flawless, albeit spoken with a strong British accent and the nuances of the verbs and tenses used bordering on the neurotically polite. His eyes had a sentient shine to them, like a grandparent with a contented life. Despite the admission of being the sole force behind the international manhunt for L and being heavily involved in L's mysterious world, Light couldn't feel any ominous power or authority emanating from him.

And certainly he didn't know how he figured into Beyond's apparent thirst for revenge.

Fate…

False kidnappings…

L disappearing on his own…

Naomi Misora's involvement...

Beyond's words at the Tsukiji fish market the other night…

And someone called 'A'…

"Well, I'm sure you know why you're here, so let's begin. If you'll please step inside…"

* * *

Two floors down, Raye and Naomi were waiting in a vacant room. Standing watch outside was Ide, the one who had picked them up from the hospital earlier that morning. All of them were waiting for the word that Watari was ready to receive the former FBI agent's testimony.

Inside the room, the engaged pair were sitting next to each other, Naomi using her leather jacket as a makeshift sling, Raye staring off into the distance. Right now, both were doing what seemed like the only thing they've been doing since their unwitting reunion last night—enduring an awkward silence that would probably last for a while, even when (or if) their lives returned completely to normal.

Since then, Raye finally had the time to take a closer look at everything that had happened in this case. No, he wasn't angry at Naomi. He never was. Even back then, in Los Angeles, Naomi hadn't willingly participated in the whole complex murder case—she woke up one day and L had completely hijacked her laptop, and Raye knew just as well as anyone else that if L got you involved in something, you were involved regardless of any objections you had.

Also…that was the first time he'd been able to see the infamous serial killer in person. The burns on his face told the whole story…

And yet, there seemed to be so much to the story.

For one thing, although Naomi was already fully aware that she had nothing to feel guilty about, there was no other emotion that could be read in her demeanor. Particularly when Ide showed up at the hospital and delivered Watari's request, she seemed anxious at the prospect of meeting Watari face-to-face. Then again, Watari himself was acting suspicious. L was finally found, and what was more, this hadn't been as serious of a kidnapping case as it had been spun out to be, but not much of a hullabaloo was being made. Sure, that was technically a good thing in terms of controlling rampant, unwanted media control (and in the case of L, that was _always _good), but this was more or less nothing but a scandal cover-up that barely gave any justification to the massive efforts of the world's governments. It felt…too quiet, too convenient of an ending…and Watari wanted to return to England as soon as possible, leaving the SIS-L Japan Branch to "clean up"…

And finally, there was the brief argument between L and Beyond in the alley that night…

"Naomi…"

Her head jerked up at the sound of Raye murmuring under his breath; obviously he didn't want anyone to hear, despite Ide being all the way outside.

"Hm?"

"…There's something that's been bothering me since the hostage drop-off last night. Actually...everything about this whole case is starting to bother me, but…"

Naomi's eyes widened, astounded. Typically Raye was a by-the-book investigator, logical, uninterested in following "hunches" or "emotions" like Naomi did.

"What Beyond said to L that night…that L was 'committing suicide by going back to Watari'…what did he mean by that?"

Naomi stiffened, the memory of that moment once again fresh.

_You're committing suicide if you go back to Watari! A already committed suicide! You don't deserve to be buried next to him!_

Her mind began to race again. If a conservative, hard-shelled agent like Raye was disturbed by all this, then there was no question this was something that would either spiral out of control or be a lurking shadow somewhere in society, feeding upon the regret and guilt of everyone involved like an unsolved mystery.

Up until now, Naomi hadn't been sure whether she could get the full support of her fiancé—since they were returning to Los Angeles soon, there was still a chance she could come in contact with L's three successors. Unless they were also in on this project (which she doubted), or unless Beyond had already concocted the exact same plan, they were the only ones who could help. It wasn't even a consideration that she barely had any solid evidence. She may have disagreed with his methods sometimes, and he had his oddities, but the situation was that desperate that she'd go against her former employer. L was a brilliant person worth something to the world.

Hell, he was a _person_.

And if she could get one more person on her side, that would certainly be a start.

"I can't talk about it here," she replied, keeping her own voice low. "Wait until we get back to the hotel."

"...It's that serious?"

"Let's just say it's a matter of L's life."

Raye's expression hardened.

"Naomi, I know you're concerned, but after you give your testimony, the SIS-L can handle Beyond on their own—"

Naomi shook her head.

"It's not Beyond the SIS-L should be chasing after."

Raye's eyes widened, but before he could ask anything else, Ide entered the room.

"Miss Misora, we're ready to take your testimony."

Raye stayed sitting as Naomi stood up, using one hand to keep her leather jacket on her shoulders. For a moment, they exchanged serious expressions, but then Naomi's face relaxed—she didn't smile, but her expression softened, as if to say "Leave everything to me", and without saying anything else, she followed Ide outside.

As the two walked towards an elevator bank, at the last minute, Naomi caught sight of Soichiro and Light as they were heading home, the first time Light would be reunited with the rest of his worried family.

For a second, their eyes met.

And both read a terrible secret in each other.

* * *

"When did L first approach you?"

"Last Tuesday, at the hotel Raye and I were staying at. I'd been drawing a bath when I heard a knock at the door. Raye had left a few minutes earlier to pick up some breakfast for us at a bakery a few blocks up the street, and I thought it was him."

"Did you think his behavior seemed strange at the time?"

Naomi bit her lip. She certainly wasn't going to take any further risks and lie, but she had to choose her words carefully.

"Yes. He looked a little nervous, but that could've been because he knew everyone was looking for him. If anything, he looked…_sad_."

Watari's bushy mustache twitched slightly.

"Did he mention anything?"

"He didn't explain himself right away. All he said was that he needed my help. He sounded pretty urgent about it. But I worked with L before, so I knew he wouldn't have shown up in person unless it really _was_ that important, so I left with him."

"And you didn't contact your fiancé or take any belongings…"

"L told me not to."

Watari made the smallest of humming sounds, pricking a bit at Naomi's nerves. It was Rue Ryuuzaki all over again, but with one small exception—this time, she _knew_ the evil that lurked behind the personality.

"So what happened after that?"

"He drove me to another hotel somewhere in the city. I guess he'd been staying there for a while, and we've been there up until last night."

"And I assume that was when he revealed his plan for you to act as Mitsuko Ona."

"Yes."

"Did he explain why?"

"No."

Now that wasn't a lie, Naomi assured herself. She practically had to force an explanation out of the detective.

"I see…Miss Misora, I've spoken to L as well, and he mentioned that Beyond's intervention and subsequent kidnapping of Light Yagami, as well as your decision to confront him, wasn't a part of his plan, although Beyond and L had apparently been involved with each other prior to this. Is that true?"

"Yes. L took the broadcast and kidnapping as a challenge. I guess Beyond wanted either him or the SIS-L to react. L didn't want to risk compromising whatever he had in mind, but he also risked something if the SIS-L didn't react favorably to Beyond's demand, and I didn't want to risk Light's life. L told me Beyond wouldn't really go so far as to kill Light, but I couldn't take that chance; I knew what Beyond was capable of. That was when I decided to confront Beyond myself, on behalf of L and on behalf of the SIS-L. It was just my frustration getting the better of me," Naomi admitted.

"That may have been, but the fact remains that you saved Light's life. I'm sorry I cannot find a better way to express my gratitude, but I thank you for that. As we speak, Chief Yagami and his son are returning home, and both extend their thanks to you, as does the rest of the SIS-L Japan Branch."

Naomi nodded humbly, but she couldn't help but notice that an abrupt change in the atmosphere had taken place in the matter of two seconds. Watari interlocked his fingers and put his hands on the table, as if he were about to make a bargain.

"I suppose that is all we needed to know about the matter of Mitsuko Ona and Beyond Birthday...but before we conclude, there are a couple more questions I would like to ask you."

An uneasiness settled into Naomi's stomach, but she didn't back down.

"As I investigated the matter in conjunction with the Los Angeles and France Branches, I uncovered some records of flight information. Apparently L left France for Los Angeles just days before Beyond's escape from prison, which of course is hardly coincidence. Can I then assume that L also came in contact with you a few months ago?"

This was the dangerous question she'd been dreading, but considering everything, Watari probably already knew. Also, the facts were just that obvious.

So there was only one thing she could say.

"Yes."

"And neither you nor L made any plans to meet again in the future?"

"No. That was part of the reason why it was a surprise when he showed up here. One day he just left to go somewhere else--he didn't say where--so I thought that was the end of it."

Watari nodded.

"I see. Thank you for providing us with this information, Miss Misora. The SIS-L may have accomplished its primary objective, but we'll continue to work to find and capture Beyond. In the meantime, I'll see to it that you and Penber are protected in Los Angeles. I'm not sure if confronting you as Mitsuko Ona was the full extent of Beyond's intentions for you, but we can't be too careful."

"Thank you."

She stood up to leave, but before she opened the door, she turned around to look at Watari one more time.

"…Is L going to be okay? I noticed he was acting strange and I just wanted to make sure he was all right."

Watari continued to stare at the wall.

"He seemed to have suffered from a lot of stress, but I hope that proves itself to be temporary. Please don't worry, Miss Misora. I'll ensure that he's properly taken care of."

* * *

The door creaked open.

In the dismal light in the small interrogation room, a black eye belonging to a fatigued body—its wrists still chained behind its back—swerved around until it focused upon the person who had come in. The bright light from the hallway almost hurt.

But what hurt more was seeing the silhouette of the man framed in the doorway.

"I just finished the interview with Miss Misora, and she corroborated your account of what happened, both here and in Los Angeles."

No response.

"Given this, I also assume she knows what compelled you to bring her into your dispute with Beyond."

Still no response, except for a slight crease in L's forehead, which was all Watari needed.

"I had hoped that your reckless initiative wouldn't have such far-reaching consequences. Still, I can understand why you sought her assistance time and time again. It is a shame she's no longer with the FBI. She was obviously a valuable asset."

Watari turned back to leave again, but before he closed the door, he delivered one last sentence.

One that frightened L more than the prospect of his own bleak future.

"That also makes it a shame that you had to involve her in all this."

* * *

Nighttime began to fall once again over Los Angeles, and Near, Mello, and Matt were still keeping vigil in their own part of the FBI field office. Of the three agents, only Bullook was with them at the moment; Loud had recently been charged with fetching Mello more chocolate, and Carter left to settle a minor matter with the rest of the SIS-L Los Angeles Branch. Though they didn't have much to do due to L having already been found, they still took the time to go over all the information they'd collected over the past couple of weeks.

Near sat at his terminal, moving the mouse with one hand and assembling a small puzzle with the other, Matt and Mello preoccupied with their own tasks. Finished with his own, Near had begun to close out a couple of browser windows and focus on something a bit more productive.

Then he spotted it.

"Bullook."

The female agent looked up from where she'd been working with Matt.

"Does anyone aside from us and Watari have access to these computers?"

"We had to connect the computers to the rest of the building's wireless infrastructure, but no, no one else should have access. Loud and Matt set up the firewalls themselves."

At the mentioning of his name, Matt turned around (and Mello did simply out of curiosity), and Near turned back to the monitor.

"There's an e-mail here from an unknown source that was sent today…and it's addressed to me, Mello, and Matt."

Everyone else in the room immediately rushed to Near to see what he was talking about. Sure enough, there was a link leading to a new e-mail, but any information that would have identified the sender or the location from where it came was nonexistent.

Near clicked on it.

_The harvest virgin, the archer, and another water-bearer…the guardians of the scorpion's legacy, the lackeys of the stubborn bull. Safely under the dark shadow of his kingdom, the bull will soon sting the scorpion. There are three of you now, but there will soon be four. Follow Thirteen, and do not repeat the mistakes of Twelve, or else there will only be twenty-two left._

(End Chapter 24)


	25. Plan B:eyond

Title: Silent Consonant

By: Dr. Kim-chan

Author's Note: (squeals with delight) _I have cover art for my fanfiction!_ I'm so honored! Follow this link and give huge props to TheXWandererXWithin (ignore the weird way I wrote the address; FF.N acts weird when it comes to web addresses): http (colon) (backslash) (backslash) s695 (dot) photobucket (dot) com (backslash) albums (backslash) vv317 (backslash) ur-my-FAVE (backslash) (question mark) action (equal sign) view (ampersand...you know, that thing above the number "7") current (equal sign) 267 (dot) jpg

Oh, but that's not all! Apparently this story also has a theme song. Bonzai-Bunny mentioned the trailer song for the movie "Watchmen"--"The Beginning Is the End Is the Beginning" by Smashing Pumpkins, so I found it and listened to it right away, and she's right: it DOES fit with the current mood of the story.

I'm also glad everyone's been trying so hard to solve the puzzles! Everyone always has such interesting theories. So what's the solution, you ask? Let's just put it this way: there's not always just one answer to a riddle. Don't worry, though; a full explanation will come up soon (not in this chapter, though. Sorry).

I'm so happy this story's inspiring and entertaining everyone in different ways; it's all the more motivation to continue.

Note: Corrected mistake in Chapter 24; I accidentally called the would-be SPK agents by their false names instead of their real names. (head slam on desk) I keep forgetting that…

* * *

Light looked away from his computer monitor as he heard a soft knock on the door.

He stood up and walked over to open the door, and as he expected, on the other side there was his mother with a small box in her arms.

"A couple of classmates of yours came by to deliver some cards and letters from your homeroom—Miko Higashi and Yumiko Hoshino? And your teacher also sent you your homework. There were some letters for you in the mailbox, too."

"Oh," Light muttered, recognizing the names. Miko was one of the class representatives, a bit domineering, while Yumiko was more or less Miko's timid shadow. Without another word, he took the box and set it on the foot of the bed.

"Do you need anything, dear?" Sachiko asked.

"No, Mom. I'm fine."

She lingered in the doorway for a while, but finally she closed the door and continued about her household duties.

Considering that her son had been kidnapped by a notorious serial killer, Sachiko's readjustment to daily life was remarkable, even though she broke all pretense of strength and sobbed the moment Soichiro came through the front door with Light in tow (Sayu's own reaction being more or less the same). It had been the middle of the week, and Light had felt more than ready to return to school immediately, but both his father and the school authorities agreed that Light would be given a week's reprieve, including the upcoming holiday season, before he went back. As long as Light finished all the work he'd missed and caught up on studying for his college entrance exams, it would be as if he'd never been gone in the first place.

But it wasn't as if Light could relax entirely.

Even in the safety of his own home, he still felt Beyond looming over his shoulder, his strawberry-jam breath lingering in his nostrils.

But even more pressing than that, Light knew a greater conspiracy surrounded all of this. Everything felt disturbing about this, even the mere fact that Beyond had made such detailed plans which implied that L would soon need to be rescued. Rescued from _what_, though, and why, it wasn't explained fully.

Beyond's outburst at the Tsukiji fish market.

The fact that L had indeed disappeared of his own volition.

Watari's nonchalant attitude during the interrogation.

And then there was Naomi Misora.

The second their gazes met at the NPA headquarters, Light could tell she felt the same way about the outcome of the investigation. Why did L call upon her again…to infiltrate the very same group that had been looking for him, no less?

The urge to go to her hotel one more time and get some answers from her personally had been growing stronger and stronger, but Sachiko, already feeling guilt over sending him on an errand alone the afternoon he'd been taken, kept watch over him like a hawk, and any friend he called upon would be a brown-nosing hindrance. He also knew time was running out; soon, Naomi and Raye would be going back to Los Angeles.

Then there was Beyond himself. If Light went to Naomi, would it be considered a breach of trust? If so, Light risked more than a mere bump on the head.

Trying to clear his head, Light sat on the bed and began sorting through the box's contents. He took out the homework and set it aside, wanting to go through the letters first.

"Haruka…Ryunosuke…Hitomi…"

He stopped.

There was one envelope haphazardly decorated with a red border. At the center, in equally messy _kana_, was written the name "Rue Ryuuzaki".

Light picked up the envelope and tore into it, taking out the letter. All the words were written in an impeccable combination of kanji, hiragana, and katakana—in both red and black pen. Very carefully he read the contents:

* * *

_Hello Light,_

_Glad to hear you're back at home. Winning basketball games in gym class hasn't been the same without you. English has been hard, too; when you come back, you'll have to help me translate a few poems. Someone told me a rumor that you aren't coming back, but I know that's not true; you've been talking about going to To-Oh forever. You're graduating in March with the rest of us!_

_Hope to see you back,_

_Rue_

_

* * *

_

Upon first reading, it looked like a normal, chummy letter from a school friend—albeit a very oddly colored letter—but Light immediately knew his life had gotten much more complicated all over again.

For one thing, while some words had been written in black, others had been written in red, such as "gym", "English", and "home". But even this was a front. Recalling what Beyond told him, Light reread the letter until he picked out what was _really_ being highlighted.

"Katsu", to win. "Shi", poem. "Oshiete", to tell. "Ni", a preposition meaning "in". "Sangatsu", the month of March.

But even this was misleading. The Japanese language abounded with homonyms—words that sounded alike but meant different things, and Beyond had known this all too well, using it fully to his advantage in his elaborate plans. Given that, then upon reading the letter for the third time, the words really said:

"Katsu", a word for "scorpion". "Shi", death. "Ni", two. "San" separated from "gatsu", which in that context meant three, and "gatsu" being represented by the symbol for "moon", which was Light's name in writing. Only the meaning of "oshiete" remained intact.

All together: "_The scorpion is dying. Tell two, and then the three, Light._"

Light froze.

So L's life really was in danger.

But why? Why was all of this happening?

Light folded up the letter, put it back in the envelope, and strategically placed it between two books on a shelf. He knew what he was supposed to do next; Beyond had given him a whole page's worth of computer code in order to access all the relevant data to send back and forth between the necessary parties, and he was still going to go through with it, but much like Naomi and her circumstances with L, he'd had enough of merely being used. If someone as powerful as L was in trouble, Light was already in over his head anyway, and damn the circumstances. He wanted to know what was going on.

And he had an idea for how he'd find out.

* * *

The deafening 'click-clack' of fingers furiously hitting the keys of a keyboard filled the room as Carter and Loud re-entered. He was by no means slothful, but this was the most active thing anyone had seen Matt do in days, and one look at Bullook's hardened face only further deepened their suspicions.

"What's going on?"

Near, now standing up due to Matt having taken his chair, turned around, the ever-present index finger in a front lock of his white hair. Mello also turned, but instead of answering the question, he simply marched up to Loud and retrieved the cache of chocolate bars he'd been sent out to retrieve in the first place.

"About an hour ago, we received an e-mail from Beyond Birthday—at least, that's what it looks like. There's no indication of who the sender is or where it came from," Near explained frankly, though the reaction he got was substantially less than calm. "Matt's been trying to trace the source for a while…"

"And I'm not getting anything," the gamer interrupted. "It keeps saying something about a server error."

"…I expected as much," Near muttered. "If nothing else, information warfare seems to be Beyond's greatest strength. But it's enough that we know Beyond's in Japan—or was. I think the more useful thing we can do right now is to try and figure out what the clue means. Besides, it's more likely he used another computer in the building as a proxy. Loud, please check on that."

"I told you that thirty minutes ago," Mello growled.

As the raven-haired CIA agent left the office again, Matt's typing slowed as he closed out a few windows and brought the text of the e-mail back into full view. Mello slid his chair over to the computer next to him and, in virtually no time at all, accessed the video of L's interview with Beyond four years ago.

"Wait," Carter protested. "How did you know the e-mail was from Beyond?"

"For one thing, Beyond would be the only one who'd be able to hack into our computers like this. And then there's the video me and Bullook got from the prison in Corcoran," Mello said. "At the end of the video, Beyond says to L, '12 and 13 make 25. One is missing. Twelve knows why'. In the e-mail, there's a sentence that says, 'Follow Thirteen, and do not repeat the mistakes of Twelve, or else there will only be twenty-two left.' And I'm pretty sure that's not a coincidence."

"So…he's talking about us, right?" Matt asked. "'The harvest virgin, the archer, and another water-bearer'?"

"In astrological terms, yes," Near said. "I am a Virgo, I suppose the water-bearer is you—an Aquarius—and Mello is the archer, a Sagittarius."

"So the scorpion—"

"Is probably L."

"And the bull?"

"That would be Watari, I guess."

"So who's the _other_ water-bearer?"

Amid the deep discussion, Bullook noticed that no one was touching on the one question they should have been asking, so she did it herself.

"Wait a minute. Beyond hacked our database, but none of you seem the least bit concerned. Don't you think we should inform Watari about this before we take any further action—"

"No."

Near's stark answer took everyone by surprise, bringing down a crushing silence over the entire room.

Taking absolutely no notice of the awkwardness he'd just forced upon everyone, he scurried over to a corner of the room and dug through a box of toys until he found a few action figures he wanted to play with…or at least, that's how it seemed. He promptly sat on the floor and set up the figures in a particular arrangement as he launched into an explanation that justified his answer.

"This entire case began when L left France to settle this game with Beyond, and by the looks of it, L made sure to carefully follow all of Beyond's instructions, even going so far as to leave Watari behind, which in itself is something we should take note of," Near began, putting two of the of action figures in a spot by themselves. "L is someone who would do things his own way, regardless of the situation, and if L himself felt it necessary to tread lightly with Beyond, alerting Watari to this might jeopardize all of us. And obviously, Beyond has already proved he has the means to obtain sensitive data, not to mention there's something about this that only he knows."

He put six more action figures opposite the first one.

"I also think this is a personal challenge, much like the one he issued to L, so I think we're better off if we treat it as such. The only thing we'd accomplish by telling Watari is an attempt to pinpoint Beyond's location, and even that might be useless."

"Useless?"

"'There are three of you now, but there will soon be four'," Near said, moving one of the first two figures over to the other six. "It sounds like he's already made up his mind to come here."

"You guys are supposed to protect us anyway, right?" Mello cut in peevishly, garnering a hard stare from Carter. "Just do your jobs."

"…So what do you want us to do?" Bullook asked, finally relenting.

"Nothing yet. As it so happens, Naomi Misora and Raye Penber are also coming back, and we're expecting Watari to contact us, since he wants them protected until Beyond's captured. We can use that opportunity to set up a stakeout around LAX and the rest of the city."

As Near rearranged his toys on the floor and began fine-tuning their plan of action, Mello rested his crossed arms on the desk and stared blankly at the computer screen. Either Near was just that single-minded or he already knew and simply hadn't wanted to say it out loud, but as far as Mello was concerned, there was another good reason Watari was better off not knowing about the e-mail.

In all the years he'd known and admired him, Mello never knew L to suffer from any type of nervous breakdown. Hundreds of cases, and L never gave up. Even amid the difficulty of the Los Angeles BB Murder Cases, he rose up to the challenge with the help of Naomi Misora.

And why now, of all times, were they suddenly being given the responsibility of replacing him?

Was that was Beyond meant?

_Safely under the dark shadow of his kingdom, the bull will soon sting the scorpion…_

* * *

"_A project?"_

_Naomi nodded…but very slowly, almost as if she herself didn't believe it._

"_L is basically Watari's attempt at making the world into some sort of crime-free utopia. But Watari knew he had to insure him if worse came to worse, so he used an orphanage he founded to train backups. That's what Beyond was—someone meant to take L's place. But after the death of the first one, A, he didn't want any part of it, so he left. So far, L's been Watari's only success."_

"_Then the Wara Ningyo Murders were just two people settling a grudge."_

"…_Yeah," Naomi said, noting Raye's slight disgust at how light that explanation made the tragedy seem. "That's what it was at first, anyway."_

"'_At first'?"_

"_After Beyond was put in prison, L visited him, and Beyond told him that he had wanted to prove something else with the murders. He wanted L to know that there was more to A's death and more to this project…a conspiracy, basically."_

"_Then Beyond breaks out, and L suddenly comes back to Los Angeles without telling Watari? But couldn't this have been a trick, or Beyond's own delusions?"_

"_No. Beyond's smarter than that, for one thing. Also, when L came to Los Angeles, the first thing L did was meet with me. Beyond had told him he could ask for my help. One of the clues sent us to UCLA, and there we found a thesis Watari had written and published some time ago, about making an elite that could change the world for the better. I knew that thesis wasn't fake; I saw it for myself."_

_After pacing for a while, Naomi sat down at the foot of the bed._

"_Then they both left, and I didn't hear anything until L showed up here. Whatever he found out, he was upset about it, but…now that I think back, I don't think he wanted to believe it. That was why he did what he did. But…"_

_Her voice dropped down to a whisper tinged with emotion, which Raye knew Naomi seldom did._

"_Believe what?"_

_She looked down at the floor._

"…_It didn't say any of this in the thesis, so whatever else L found after he left Los Angeles would tell the whole story, but I could tell that Watari had a clear idea of what the elite was supposed to do. After Beyond's murders, apparently Watari started having second thoughts about L, and…"_

_Her face froze completely._

"_He thinks L should be terminated."_

"_Terminated?"_

"…_Killed."_

* * *

"I think that's everything."

Raye looked up at Naomi, who was in one corner of their hotel room, zipping up the last piece of luggage. He still was in a state of disbelief, but truly, was there any other reason any of this was happening? And he knew Naomi was a sensible person; she couldn't have made any of that up if she tried.

But the troubling possibility that this _was _all true only further cast Raye into doubt about what they could do. He despised the idea of someone being treated and disposed of like a failed experiment as much as anyone with even half a sense of morals, and technically, he was still a member of the SIS-L Los Angeles Branch, but to go against a man with the clout to mobilize Interpol and erase the world's greatest detective from existence…

_Knock knock._

Naomi looked up, a bit startled (and vaguely reminded of the day L came to the hotel room), and then the sound repeated itself.

"I'll get it. It's probably someone from the SIS-L," she muttered, strolling over to the door and opening it.

For the second time, she was wrong.

She was looking face-to-face at Light Yagami.

(End Chapter 25)

Author's After Note: Before anyone screams "OC", that'll probably be the last time Miko Higashi and Yumiko Hoshino will be mentioned. Actually, their names were vital clues…not for Light, but for you guys.

Ignore the "-ko" suffix, since that's a basic suffix that often goes at the end of girls' names and was mainly meant to throw you off. Then you have "Mi" and "Yumi", along with their last names. "Mi" comes from "miru", a verb meaning "to look", and "Higashi" means "east". "Yumi", among many other things, can mean "to read", and the first part of the surname "Hoshino" means "stars".

So basically, you have "Look east" (to Los Angeles), and "Read the stars". Keep that in mind…


	26. Idle Hands

Title: Silent Consonant

By: Dr. Kim-chan

Author's Note: Hey, everyone! Sorry for the long delay; I was having a problem with one of the plot points, but just today I figured out a PERFECT solution! I got the idea from something that one of my reviewers, Minyadagniriel, said way back in Chapter Eight. If I may quote: "_Personally, I like the idea of having secondary characters make appearances…_"

That in mind, when you read this chapter, remember that _everyone_ in this chapter has shown up in the series at some point.

I was also holding out to see if anyone else would review, but it seems it's been a slow week at Fanfiction (dot) Net. As for me, working on other projects, as usual. Gotta keep busy somehow.

And Sanni York, don't feel too bad. Honestly, to this day I _still _don't completely understand the ending of Death Note. But don't worry. In an upcoming chapter I'll include a full analysis of all the clues that were employed. Speaking of puzzles, I'm surprised no one pointed this out: "_Tell __**the two**__, and then the three, Light._" Or did you smarty-pants already figure that out? (laughs) Well, you'll find that out soon, anyway.

NOTICE: To anyone who has any of my fics on their Fave/Alert lists or me on their author's list, expect to see my pen name changed soon! To what, I don't know yet…I'm thinking "K Lawliet". What do you think?

* * *

_Ring…ring…_

Temporarily drawing his attention away from the multiple computer monitors surrounding him, Watari picked up the phone.

"Yes, what is it?"

"_Misora and Penber's flight's just departed_," Yagami reported.

"All right. I'll inform the Los Angeles Branch so they can be prepared for their arrival. Once you return, I'd like you to make an appeal to Kitamura to let the Japan Branch have use of some of the police force again so that we can increase the perimeter around the city, as well as maintaining a lookout at both the Narita and Haneda airports just in case; our top priority now is locating and arresting Beyond Birthday."

"_Understood._"

"Also, please keep in mind that L and I will be leaving for England tomorrow, so the strategies you decide to employ in the search will be up to the discretion of the NPA, though I'll direct Beyond's extradition to Los Angeles once he's captured. Other than that, leadership of the SIS-L Japan Branch will return to your hands once L and I leave the country, and once Beyond is returned to prison and retried for his new crimes, the SIS-L will officially be disbanded."

"_I see. Aizawa and I are returning right now. We should be back in the city in about an hour._"

"All right."

* * *

_February eleventh…_

The date came up over and over again in Near's mind, almost completely tuning him out to the flurry of activity surrounding him.

Not long after they received Beyond's e-mail, after Bullook, Loud, and Carter had called it a night, he, Mello, and Matt further pursued the hidden meaning behind the riddle. They didn't get very far—all they could produce was vague speculation, and all of the guesses they came up with, they didn't feel comfortable thinking about in depth. However, Matt had brought up one very valid question the other day.

Beyond had mentioned _another _water-bearer.

Therefore, another Aquarius who was involved.

Still, that led them nowhere until Near acted on a hunch and researched some basic data concerning Naomi Misora. Fortunately, the FBI still had her in their database.

Not surprisingly, his hunch was right. She was indeed an Aquarius.

Then that made the possibility that L had come in contact with her a few months ago that much stronger.

So if anyone knew why L had come to Los Angeles less than seventy-two hours after Beyond's escape, or why Beyond made the decision to escape in the first place, it'd be her. And she certainly knew something about what was going on now if L had made her take such a risk by posing as Mitsuko Ona. L didn't do anything for no reason at all, and he knew just as well as Mello that it would have taken much more than Beyond to drive L to a nervous breakdown. It wasn't _impossible_, per se, but it wasn't _probable_.

If they had to, he'd have no objection in taking over L's position, but there was something strange going on, and he would have shared his deeper thoughts with Mello, but Mello was much too impetuous, and this required delicate tactics.

And the first step would be to contact Misora.

But how could they breach procedure without having to explain why they wanted to contact her? And they had no valid reason to talk to Misora, either…

Unless…

_Beep._

This time, Mello was at hand to answer Watari's web cam communication request. Near, Matt, and the three agents were all currently hard at work in the office space, though they briefly stopped when they heard the conspicuous sound effect. For a moment, Near turned in his chair and looked up at the blond with a strong stare, as if to say, "Keep your cool".

"Hey, Watari. Did Misora and Penber leave yet?"

"_Yes. Their flight should arrive at around nine-thirty AM, Los Angeles time. I've already called the FBI director and told him so that he could have ample time to set up teams and assign them to their positions. In that matter, the only role you can take is a supervisory one, but protocol will change if Beyond has indeed already made it to L.A. The Japan Branch will be doing their part here, as well._"

Near turned his head away, supposedly with disinterest, but it was a subconscious gesture Mello barely caught out of the corner of his eye.

"_L and I are due to leave tomorrow for England_," Watari continued, and just as suddenly Near's head whipped forward again. "_Our flight will be making a short stopover in Rome, so the Italy Branch has been put on high alert as well._"

"So we're not gonna be sticking around here any longer, either?" Matt asked.

"_At least until Beyond is found, but we'll discuss that further in detail when our business in England is finished. As I said before, keep in mind that you may be replacing L in the near future. That isn't being said with any certainty, of course; we'll have to wait until we receive the psychiatric reports._"

Everyone else had their attention fixed on the browser window, which only left Bullook to witness a dark cloud come over Near's face.

_Psychiatric reports…?_

Now he _knew_ he had to talk to Misora.

* * *

As the Japanese archipelago slowly dwindled away, disappearing into the white-and-blue horizon line that merged sea and sky together, Naomi's assurance in what would soon transpire continued to shrink.

The last strong image that lingered in her memory was of Light staring at her right before she and Raye boarded the plane. As she'd found out soon after finding Light on the other side of their hotel room door, Light had come with his father, supposedly killing two birds with one stone by tagging along as Soichiro escorted Naomi and Raye to the airport and wanting to express his thanks.

But even from the moment she saw his solemn face, she knew Light had wanted to talk about something else. From there it became a mutual exchange of information. Naomi wanted to know about Beyond, and Light wanted to know about L.

And almost nothing that each of them said made the other one feel better.

Finally realizing that looking out of the window wasn't succeeding at calming her down, Naomi pulled down the hard plastic shudder and turned to Raye, sitting motionlessly in the chair next to her. She wasn't sure whether or not to initiate any conversation, but for once Raye beat her to the punch.

"You think we were right, not saying anything to the SIS-L?" he muttered in a low voice, most likely so that no one else in the cabin heard them.

"I don't know, really," Naomi whispered back. "Beyond can be unpredictable, but it's not in his nature to be dangerous…at least that's what L told me."

"Naomi, we're talking about someone who kidnapped the son of the NPA police chief and tried to kill L!"

"…Well, I don't know what he's up to now, but considering that letter Light showed us, it looks like Beyond has every intention to save L…or at the very least, he doesn't want L to die by Watari's hands. And if Beyond _does _try anything, at least Light has the chief of police right there in his own home."

Naomi stared into her lap. "And after lasting that long in a hostage situation, I have some faith in Light's own capabilities."

"Look, I don't doubt Light's a bright kid, but even if this all plays out for the best, I don't see Watari accepting any of this graciously. Having that much power over Interpol and the SIS-L, his reputation as L's right-hand man…and it's obvious he has a lot of financial clout…I think even Beyond's in over his head."

Naomi sighed and leaned as far into the seat as possible. Just like Raye—cautious, almost to the point of pessimism. Unfortunately, he did have a point. Even if Beyond had all the right intentions, Watari could just as easily unravel his carefully-laid plans.

"…Wait. Raye, you're still a member of the SIS-L Los Angeles Branch, aren't you?"

"No. Watari told me to lay low until they captured Beyond, and even when I go back to work, if the organizational structure's anything like it was in the Japan Branch, there's not a whole lot of communication between the two, and from what you told me, no one can get close to the successors."

Naomi looked deflated once again, but then Raye added, "I don't think we have to."

His fiancee's eyes crumpled up in confusion for a split second before she remembered what Raye was talking about.

_Tell the two, and then the three, Light._

Right, the three…

But then…who was "the two"?

* * *

L's eyes, for the most part, stayed fixed on the back of Ide's head, though his innate curiosity led him to look out of the car's tinted windows once in a while. It was the first time he'd seen something other than concrete walls and darkness in a couple of days.

But he could hardly call this freedom. The handcuffs still bound his wrists behind his back—mainly to follow proper procedure, but L suspected Watari wanted to be double-sure he didn't escape.

Not that there was any place he could go, at least not without causing even the smallest hint of doubt or suspicion about his identity. He remembered the chess analogy he'd used when he spoke with Naomi, and his train of thought took a cynical turn as he analyzed the situation and realized, half-jokingly, that he'd been reverted to nothing more than a captured king…captured by a bishop, no less.

But amidst his broken mind and diminished self-esteem, trying as best as he could to push aside the terrible memories of that conversation with Watari, over the past couple of days, he'd been retracing every step he'd taken thus far, reviewing every possible plan he could make, trying to see if he could prevent the "check" from becoming a "checkmate", but it always boiled down to the same conclusion. At the moment, he couldn't make any moves. He was literally stuck.

This didn't mean the situation was hopeless…but it _did _mean he would have to do something he rarely, if ever, did.

Trust.

If the violent altercation at Tsukiji was any indication, Beyond didn't like the current circumstances any more than L did, and the only way the former murderer would receive any type of leverage would be to try and save L's life, as unnatural as that would feel. In fact, L didn't doubt that Beyond would turn right back around and mold the situation to his advantage, but that was a bridge L would worry about crossing when he got to it.

And no doubt Naomi would try to do something, as well. Insofar as L could make a superficial psychological evaluation of her, she was much too headstrong and fair-minded to sit quietly with the knowledge that L's life was in peril.

For what he estimated to be about the eighth time, L stole a sideways glance at the person sitting next to Ide in the passenger's seat.

The same trench coat. The same tipped fedora. The same trimmed handlebar mustache.

But as far as L was concerned, Watari was no longer Watari.

L twitched a little as the car abruptly came to a halt. Moving his shoulders as best as he could, he peered out of the window on the other side of the backseat.

It was the same hotel he'd brought Naomi to when this whole cat-and-mouse game had started.

"Which room did you stay in?" Watari asked, without even looking over his shoulder.

"…1412. I checked in under the name of Eraldo Coil."

Giving a slight nod, Watari instructed Ide to keep an eye on the former detective before he exited the car.

* * *

_I have arranged a flight for you to London from the Fiumicino Airport in Rome tomorrow morning. I will be making a stopover at Fiumicino before taking a similar connecting flight to London. There is a seventy-two percent chance you will see me and Watari, but due to reasons I cannot disclose right now, do not acknowledge us, and stay out of sight. Once in London, go to the International Hotel; you'll find that a room has been booked for you under the name Faustino Guerra. Bring your laptop, and you'll receive further instructions via e-mail when you arrive. Once you memorize the attached reservation data, delete this e-mail from your hard drive._

Aiber looked over the e-mail one more time before closing out of his internet browser. Setting his laptop aside, he rose up from the plush office chair and strolled over to the large picture window. Serving the purpose that its categorization specified, the window showcased a view of a rainy day in Florence, a gray hue cast over the precious architecture and subtle colors.

_He has a lot of nerve_, Aiber thought. _He practically shoos me out of London, and now I'm being begged to come back._

Despite his slight irritation, he had to remember that L had never done anything to lose his confidence. As he'd promised a couple of months ago, L had sent him the rest of the payment upon Aiber's return to Florence.

Hopefully it'd be worth it this time.

* * *

_Ring...ring..._

"What's up?"

A pause.

"Really? Orders from the boss himself? And this job's on the up-and-up, right?"

Another pause.

"Seriously?! You mean _he_ called _him_? When?" An amused snort. "Then it _must_ be serious! So who're we targeting?"

A slightly longer pause.

"All right. What's our cut…yeah, that sounds good. I'll see you later. But we'll take care of it. Don't worry."

The burly, bald man flipped the phone closed and leaned back into the kitsch zebra-print sofa (arguably the best piece of furniture in his syndicate's base of operations), a malevolent grin on his face. A couple of his closest associates who were in the room with him, including a nervy bespectacled man and a thickset, shirtless guy with dreadlocks, eyed him suspiciously. It wasn't often they got calls this early, especially if the conversation entailed one of the few in their criminal network who surpassed their own boss, whom they (and every law enforcement official in Los Angeles) knew as Rod Ross.

"What's up, boss?" the nervy man, known as Neylon, asked.

"Hmph. Looks like we're taking a couple of people out in the next couple of days…and, we get immunity if we pull this job off right."

At this, everyone's heads shot up, eyes wide in disbelief and shock.

"Immunity?! Who's giving us immunity?" Neylon demanded.

"…L."

(End Chapter 26)

Author's After Note: Another little clue! (We're having fun with clues, aren't we?) I wanted to use a psuedonym other than "Eraldo Coil" or "Rue Ryuuzaki" or "Deneuve" for once, especially since it's been said that L has LOTS of false identities that he uses. Anyway, the meaning of "Faustino Guerra"...

"Faustino" comes from the Latin name "Faust", meaning "lucky", though most may also remember this name from the book of the same name, in which a man makes a deal with the Devil in order to gain power. In much the same way, L entrusted his own life to Watari and his influence, and now he'll have to depend on Beyond to get him out of his latest jam. "Guerra", meanwhile, means "war", which is what the current situation seems to be. Everyone's taking position, and who'll come out the victor? Who knows? See you next chapter...


	27. Brink of Insanity

Title: Silent Consonant

By: Dr. Kim-chan

Author's Note: As you can see, I haven't changed my pen name quite yet, but it'll happen soon, don't you worry. I just don't think my old pen name reflects my current interests and the direction I want to take with my fanfiction. However, thanks to MysticalTears, I'm fine-tuning my list of potential names; it just seemed that all I've been writing lately is Death Note fics, and I really do enjoy writing them, so maybe that should be my focus now (and to be honest, I thought I already toed the fangirl line when I started writing fanfiction and cosplaying, not to mention the L plushie on my computer desk…lol).

I've also gotten some new breakthroughs regarding what will happen further into this story's future, so now I'm not just taking shots in the dark. I mean, there's a few things that'll happen much later that I've wanted to happen since the very beginning of Chapter One; I just didn't have much of an idea what would happen in-between. But it seems everything's worked out anyway.

For me, anyway. I don't know about L and the rest of them...

Well, let's begin.

* * *

Neylon muttered under his breath as his eyes scanned the westbound traffic of West Century Boulevard. Even from the advantageous view the parking lot of the Sheraton Gateway provided them, this was proving to be no easy task.

Every car, shuttle, taxi, and truck on both the eastbound and westbound lanes of West Century Boulevard had business at Los Angeles International Airport, better known as LAX…which also meant that their targets could be in _any_ of them. Being one of the busiest, if not _the_ busiest, airport on America's West Coast, the hectic traffic wasn't going to slow down anytime soon, but he'd watch as long as he had to, if what he'd been told by Ross was true.

Early last night, they'd received a call from one of the superiors in their crime syndicate, and soon almost all of the Los Angeles family had been stirred into an uproar.

Only a few members had been keeping up with current events, but still it was no secret that the famous detective L had been missing for months. With even the well-informed public being deprived of any juicy details, certainly the mafia had been in the dark, which made last night's phone call all the more unbelievable.

The call had been from a third party who claimed to be associated with L, and from what he revealed to the mafia's higher-ups in later phone conversation, apparently the situation ran deeper than they thought. Again, no real details had been relinquished, but as far as they knew, the associate needed two liabilities who'd been involved in L's disappearance somehow to be "erased", and if it went without a hitch, the associate apparently had enough clout to make the authorities look the other way as the crime syndicate continued conducting their business.

So an assassination. Nothing they weren't unfamiliar with.

But they certainly hadn't expected targets of this magnitude.

Two FBI agents—one former, one current—both currently under the protection of the Los Angeles Branch of the SIS-L.

At this point, the only thing that calmed Neylon's chronically rattled nerves was that the associate had inside information that would make their job a lot easier. For instance, they already knew there would be two cars: one pulling double duty as decoy and secondary escort, the other being the actual car Misora and Penber were in. Of course they'd ignore the first one, but they'd have to be extremely careful in following the second. But of course, they also knew the route the cars were taking, so that wasn't much of a concern either. And today, they were just following their trail. On the part of L's associate, it'd be lunacy to eliminate them right away; then it'd be all too obvious that only someone with inside information would have been able to pull this plot together so quickly.

If anything, what Neylon was nervous about right now was the guy sitting next to him. A thug more or less on equal standing with Neylon, Rashual Bid's specialty was contract killing. His stone-hard face, dark three-piece suit, imposing frame, and flat ink-black hair pretty much summed up his purpose.

Bid hadn't said anything the entire time, except to mutter something absolutely vital, which was just fine with Neylon. In their line of work, people couldn't be too chatty with each other. Even the names they used weren't their own, and woe to anyone who felt it was necessary to give out their real names, even to those who'd supposedly won their trust. Trust didn't exist in the mafia.

Just as Neylon resigned himself to another potential hour of waiting and straining his already-poor eyesight, Bid broke his silence.

"There they are."

Neylon twitched at the unexpected deep voice, then adjusted his glasses and leaned over the dashboard. The traffic on the westbound lane had slowed down a bit, so he looked up just in time to see a pair of identical sedans, their tinted windows adding to the slightly unsettling mystery.

Without missing a beat, Bid picked up a pair of high-powered binoculars, keeping perfectly still until he got a good look at the license plates, then in another fluid motion, he wedged the binoculars back between the armrest and his seat.

"Yeah, it's them, all right," Bid muttered to himself.

As he shifted gears and prepared to pull out of the parking lot, Neylon tried to convince himself one more time that this would be worth it.

* * *

_Damn it, L. I just came _back_ to Aspen…_

Wedy's complaints continued to spell themselves out venomously in her mind, and if she had absolutely no amount of restraint or pride, she would have vocalized them right there in the plane cabin.

In a few more hours, she'd be landing in London—the exact same place L had told her to leave as soon as possible over a month ago.

On the one hand, this wasn't too terribly surprising; L practically made a habit out of displaying unreasonable behavior and making equally unreasonable requests. On the other hand, where the hell had he been all this time, and why was she getting involved…_again_?

When she discovered what had happened on the news a few weeks ago, including the formation of the international Special Investigations Section for L, her very first thought had been the conversation she and Aiber had when they were making one of their trips to Wammy's House in Winchester...

"…_it's also probable that one of them is already one, maybe two steps ahead of the other."_

"_And who do you think's ahead?"_

"…_If I had to bet on it, the other guy. L can be a sneaky bastard sometimes, but he's a bit too naive for my tastes..."_

Looking out for herself as usual, Wedy simply decided on staying low until everything blew over, but just yesterday she received an e-mail from an unknown source (but judging from the content, it looked to be none other than L). Instructed to take some equipment with her, she'd also been told to take a pre-arranged flight to London and stay at a hotel, where, much to her amusement, she'd meet up with Aiber.

She could only imagine what the wily con artist thought about being pulled away from his comfortable life in Florence, but she'd know soon enough…

* * *

"All right. Keep on them until you've confirmed that Misora and Penber are safely at home."

Carter hung up the phone, put the phone back in his pocket, and looked up at the white-haired teen in front of him.

"They just left the airport. Bullook's following them now."

"Good. If Beyond made any move to come here, then if we also assume he got past the Japan Branch, and taking flight length into consideration, he could've come here a day or two earlier. We'll know for sure when Loud comes back."

Near craned his head back towards the computer monitor in front of him, now all the more motivated to find a way to bypass security protocol and speak to Misora directly. He still wasn't sure if he wanted to add Penber to his plan, but at the very least, the FBI agent had already been heavily involved in this case, having been included as a member of the SIS-L Los Angeles Branch and having seen both L's and Beyond's faces, and that in itself was invaluable.

Meanwhile, Matt and Mello were still going over whatever data they could. At this point, they wanted nothing more than to be allowed access to more data, hopefully some in the SIS-L's more classified files, but they'd have to wait a while to ask. At the moment, Watari and L were also moving right now, back to England.

Right now the irony was lost on them, but it was painfully apparent nonetheless. No part of this investigation had proved more stressful than when everything was just beginning to wind down.

If they only had just one more clue.

And whether it proved the ideal situation or one of the many nightmares they'd been trying hard not to think about, it was better than not knowing anything at all.

"Hey, we got another e-mail."

Matt's announcement immediately forced everyone in the office to gather around his computer. In a sector of their personal database, another message had been dropped, this time with multiple video file attachments.

"Open it," Near instructed, without any hesitation.

Matt complied, flipping over a burgundy-colored bang so he could get a better look at what he was doing. The attachment led to a folder containing a few links with dates on them—all of them going back only a couple of months ago, right before L went "missing".

Now even more suspicious, Near and Mello looked on as Matt clicked on the first file. After a few moments of decompression, a media player popped up, displaying monochromatic footage…and the surroundings it depicted looked all too familiar.

"Isn't this the orphanage?" Matt asked incredulously.

Neither Near or Mello said anything to confirm or disprove it. They didn't have to. It _was _footage taken from the surveillance cameras around the front of Wammy's House. But the bigger issue right now wasn't that someone had somehow hacked into the orphanage's security system.

It was the two people standing on the elevated front stoop: one a blonde woman wearing oversized shades; the other a tall, fair-haired man.

And even before the audio kicked in, Mello automatically spit out the answer.

"Hey, aren't these the same two people who impersonated the DGSE agents?!"

"If the dates on these links are right, yeah," Matt said, pausing the video. "But what's the point of sending us this? Watari already told us the DGSE didn't have anything to do with this, and we found L already."

"As long as Beyond's free, the case isn't closed," Near said curtly. "And Watari may've told us that the DGSE wasn't involved, but we never figured out who the two impostors were, either, not to mention L called, saying he was still working on the Black Hexagon case…so there's a chance these two people know L intimately…"

Bypassing a mystified Carter, Near shuffled over to another desk, picking up the folder containing the records of all the flights L and Beyond took up to the moment L took himself off the radar.

"We still don't know why L went to New York, but he spent even less time there than here," he continued, his thin, child-sized fingers leafing gently through the small stack of print-outs. "After that, he went to Florence, Italy for about forty-eight hours, then to London, and neither he nor Beyond are heard from again until more than a week ago."

Near dropped the folder in his lap and twirled a lock of his hair again, this time in pure agitation. His best guess was that, like how Beyond reunited L with Misora, the two were also associates of L who'd been drawn into this "game", and if L didn't go to New York and Florence to find any clues, then he must've been there just to pick up his accomplices.

It made sense, after all. Two cities, two people.

But why go through all that just to go back to Wammy's House?

Roger had said the two had accessed a computer in the library, out of L's own volition, to pick up some data.

So the "data" must have been another clue, then.

But a clue to what? What was the secret Beyond knew that no one else didn't?

Abruptly, Carter's ringing cell phone broke Near's train of thought.

* * *

"…Yes, we're leaving Rome in about fifteen to twenty minutes…"

Watari carried on his conversation with L's successors' team in Los Angeles with an unnatural effortlessness, even while his eyes were firmly fixed on his messy-haired traveling companion, who, for the first time in days, was finally free of his handcuffs.

It would've been asking a little too much for airport personnel to treat a man in handcuffs as an unassuming passenger on such short notice, but much to Watari's surprise, L had made no effort at all to resist when his bonds were removed. It wasn't as if Watari expected him to run; he knew L had a bit more common sense than that, but a lingering disappointment—and fear—remained.

Had L really given up all hope upon learning that he was no longer a detective, or even an experimental subject to be proud of?

Or maybe he was staying so calm because he had something else up his sleeve.

Either way, the elderly gentleman would just have to keep his wits about him until they reached Berkshire, where he would admit L to Broadmoor, a high-security psychiatric hospital. He knew a doctor who worked there, and had kept correspondence with him for many years already.

And that hospital, Watari had decided, would be the former detective's final resting place.

"_Attention all passengers_," a voice boomed out, first in English, then in the country's native language, "_Flight 315 to London has arrived at Gate Seven in Terminal C…_"

The pair rose to their feet and, with the rest of the small crowd who'd been waiting with them, moved towards the passageway that led to the plane.

* * *

At a small coffee shop sitting perfectly diagonally to the gate, a blond man watched over the slow-moving procession, his eyes partly hid by a steaming cup of strong espresso.

As much as he wanted to go over there and give the lanky young man a firm, vigorous shake as punishment for dragging him away from the comforts of his native Florence, he'd have to stay put. At the very least, he now knew that L was back with Watari—but something about it hadn't looked right. It was hard to discern emotional variations in L's face, but he could definitely tell that L wasn't going willingly.

Well, whatever was going on, his own flight didn't leave for another two hours, so he'd just hang around and ponder that mystery until he was scheduled to leave.

* * *

"There has to be _something_ here…you're clever, Watari, but foolish."

A lone figure sat crouched in the same underused apartment complex at the edge of the city he'd been using as a refuge for the past two weeks, still in front of a laptop that provided most of the lighting in the room. Just recently he'd received a message from Light that he'd sent the video files to the Los Angeles SIS-L, which only energized the former serial killer. They may have been strictly under Watari's control, but children would always be children, and children were naturally curious, especially those who had a mental capacity that superseded most adults. Seeing the two fake DGSE agents—Aiber and Wedy—at the doorstep of their orphanage, already knowing that L had disappeared of his own volition…

It would only take a few more well-calculated moves until they, like Naomi, knew what was really going on.

As for what L would do once he found out that he would be rescued...obviously L wouldn't just go to his death, unless he wanted to go so far as to play the "Ultimate Trump Card". Beyond already had a good guess what would transpire in the next few days.

And he couldn't wait. It would be so much…_fun_.

"There you are!" Beyond chimed, his hacking skills yielding results yet again. "Now, where are you taking L…?"

His eyes, rimmed with cheap black eyeliner, scanned the sparse information, and though it was exactly what he was looking for, he was none too pleased to have found it out.

"Hmm…Broadmoor Hospital…"

Beyond went back a few browser windows and performed a basic search, which only made him angrier.

"A _psychiatric_ hospital?! _Psychiatric?!_"

A strangled, inhuman mix between a cry of outrage and a hysterical laugh escaped Beyond's throat.

"And in Berkshire, too…away from London, away from Winchester and Wammy's…away from prying eyes. You drop him off, and he's no longer your problem. And in a psychiatric hospital, even in a place as renowned as Broadmoor, accidental drug overdose would be the perfect death. Or you'll make L insane yourself by leaving him alone there, driving him to suicide, though would L really walk on that dark ledge? Watari, would you really stoop this low?"

He resumed scouring through the Internet, his mind blank with fury.

"And I thought L was loathsome, but it's always been like this, hasn't it? The only person in this world I've hated more than L was you, Watari. Everyone is walking on a ledge, even me. And now I walk a fine line between hero and villain…and so do Aiber and Wedy."

After a few minutes, the smallest of smiles returned to his face.

"The scorpion and the crab…the bearer of the vase…the fish…the virgin, the archer, and the other bearer of the vase…you were cursed from the moment you set foot in Wammy's House, L, and yet here you are, so blessed…"

(End Chapter 27)


	28. Miscommunicate

Title: Silent Consonant

By: Dr. Kim-chan

Author's Note: Delay apologies all around; yay (and boo) for other writing projects! And you know, I'm having such a hard time changing my pen name. I think my old one's actually grown on me. Oh well. Maybe later on down the road I'll find something fitting. Until then, I'm still the Doctor! (Yay for obscure sci-fi references!)

And good news! "Silent Consonant" has been added to its _second_ C2 Archive! It's called "BB-Beyond Birthday Goodness!" As their motto says: "All BB all the time"—though you may not see much Beyond in this fic for a while; we got L and Naomi to worry about.

And I've _never_ done so much _research_ for a _fanfiction_ in my _life_. I think I know enough about Broadmoor Hospital to actually _work_ there now. So while you all read, I'm just gonna go over here and rest from research overload…

Correction: More a clarification than a correction; I said Broadmoor was in Berkshire. Technically, Broadmoor is in the _town _of Crowthorne, which is in the _district _of Bracknell Forest, which in turn is in the _county_ of Berkshire. (sigh) Oh, England…no offense to any readers from across the pond…

* * *

It didn't seem as if they'd gone too far from the London metropolitan area, but as soon as they'd left the outskirts, the landscape had undergone a drastic change. Instead of buildings, upscale shops, and towering apartments, England dissipated into verdant hills laced and dotted with small villages, hedges, and scraggly forests. The cloudy skies that threatened more rain and the mists hovering over the ground made the surroundings all the more picturesque.

If time and chance hadn't been a factor, then it would've simply been a repeat of that chilly day in November, when L was taken to Winchester.

But this was barely an opportunity for sightseeing, and L certainly didn't want to think of the childhood he'd been deprived of, of the path in life that had ultimately carried him to this depressing present day.

Though L's eyes were gazing out of the passenger's side window, he didn't notice anything. He couldn't think of the trip itself.

He could only think of what the destination would be.

He hadn't been told anything in detail when he and Watari left Japan; only that he'd be taken back to England for medical help, and at first he didn't care, but with every mile they put between them and London, and with every unfamiliar signpost, L's curiosity eventually got the better of him.

"Where are we going?"

Watari didn't even move an inch, but being cordial—and knowing that anything he told L now wouldn't do much harm—he answered the question.

"Broadmoor Hospital."

"Broadmoor…?"

"It's a mental institution in the county of Berkshire. You'll undergo a psychiatric evaluation, after which you'll be admitted there for an extended stay. Though you may no longer be operating as a detective, you're still a ward and my responsibility, therefore I'll see to it that you're properly taken care of before I finish up business in Los Angeles and Japan. After all, B must still be caught."

L's brows furrowed, his mouth scrunching up into something of a pout.

"I'm not psychologically disturbed," the dark-haired man snapped.

"I'm well aware of that. Once again you held your own against B, and even after learning that you were strictly considered a subject, you were willing to return as long as could retain control over your career. On the other hand, your conduct lately has been less than rational, and I doubt that the doctor who will perform the evaluation will think of the other peculiar behaviors you've developed over the years as kindly as I do. Such is the result of partial social isolation, I'm afraid to admit."

He'd never been aware of the irony of his emotions, and he probably never would, but L had a strange way of picking and choosing his pet peeves. It wasn't so much being called a failed subject that bothered him as much as being called, in a word, insane.

"I was not being irrational," L argued, his ire growing. "Even though it took more of an effort, I figured I would get more clarity of the situation rather than going to you directly. The fact that you're resorting to such drastic measures as admitting me to a mental hospital only proves my point."

"As I told you before, I had no reason to lie about the situation," Watari responded flatly. "It was merely your own mistrust guiding your actions. I suppose it's meaningless to tell this to someone who isn't accustomed to failure, but you only have yourself to blame for this unfortunate turn of events."

L's scowl hardened, but he couldn't find the wherewithal to respond.

Then…was it really as Beyond had said?

Had he really committed suicide?

* * *

"Hello again, Mr. Morrello."

Aiber's lips spread into a wide smile, and he opened the door wider to let in the master thief. Dragging a small carry-on piece of suitcase behind her, Wedy was dressed to the nines, the omnipresent pair of oversized shades on her face, though for a moment she tilted them down to get a better view of Aiber's room. It wasn't the best hotel either of them had stayed in, but The International wasn't exactly anything to laugh at. In the small sitting area, large panels of windows looked out over one of the many wharfs in the city, though the view was dulled by the damp, cloudy weather.

"So we're both back in London, I see."

"Let me guess—L," Wedy grumbled, joining Aiber in taking a seat. "I wonder what crazy plan he wants us to pull off this time. More importantly, where the hell has he been for the past two months? Have you seen the news?"

"How could I not? When the world's greatest detective goes missing, you don't exactly expect anyone to keep quiet about it."

Aiber grinned, then leaned back in his armchair.

"But it looks like the case has been solved."

Wedy raised an eyebrow, and Aiber was quick to explain.

"When L sent me that e-mail, he said there'd be a chance we'd run into each other at Fiumicino Airport in Rome. Sure enough, a few hours after I got there, I saw him and Watari catch a connecting flight to London. Apparently he'd planned this all down to the last detail."

"So he's back with the old man…did he say anything to you?"

"I kept my distance. He also told me not to acknowledge him if I saw him…and between you and me, even if he hadn't said anything, I wouldn't have walked up to him."

Now Wedy looked even more confused, but then again, so did Aiber.

"I can't really explain it, but when I saw L's face, I got the same feeling I had when we snuck into that orphanage. Didn't look like he was going willingly."

Aiber shrugged, now leaning forward to log into his laptop, which had been sitting on the coffee table since he first checked into his room.

"Now that I think about it, L also said to check my e-mail every four hours for more information as he continued to get some updates on the situation. But if L's really behind this, how's he…"

"You know L always has some trick up his sleeve. He probably planned all this out in advance, then got someone else to act as a proxy," Wedy explained, already knowing what Aiber was going to ask. "I mean, we don't know what he's been doing all this time…though I sure as hell would like to know—"

"I don't think you want to."

Disturbed at the sudden interruption, Wedy tilted her glasses again to see that Aiber's face had gone stone-hard, his sky-blue eyes fixed firmly on his laptop monitor.

As if they could reach each other's minds, Aiber turned the laptop around so that Wedy could read the e-mail he'd just received:

* * *

_Here are you new instructions: infiltrate Broadmoor Hospital and release L from this institution as soon as possible. The methods you decide to use are up to your discretion. We regret that we cannot give any further details on the situation, but we're assured you're aware of the events that have transpired recently. L is no longer confident in the solidarity of his inner circle, and he fears that staying at Broadmoor for too long will result in negative consequences._

_If there is anything you require, use this personal identification code to access this private account. Send a blank e-mail to the address specified below when you've completed the mission. Erase any evidence of this e-mail immediately._

* * *

Wedy grimaced.

"Broadmoor? Where's that?"

Aiber did a quick search on the Internet, then turned the laptop around again to show her what he'd come up with.

"...A mental institution?" the master thief spat out. "What the hell's going on?"

"How much you wanna bet L's been set up?"

Wedy scoffed and crossed her arms in front of her chest, though the possibility seemed all too real…and a little frightening. L may have been…_eccentric_, but he had common sense; someone had to have known what they were doing to trap L anywhere. Someone on equal level with L.

Someone equally smart.

She instantly recalled two past conversations: the one she had with L in New York, and they one she and Aiber had in the Aston Martin when they drove to Winchester, ready to masquerade as Aubin and DuVerger. Someone as intelligent as L running around with a chip on his shoulder the size of England itself, and the threat of betrayal...

Those had been Aiber's fears exactly…well, not so much that L was being set up, but that they'd be caught in the trap, too. Obviously, they hadn't, and L had been left to take the blame.

But she had to admit, it was quite noble of him. There were no two people better suited to frame than a thief and a con man, yet here they were, still free. And they _did _get paid.

As long as that didn't stop, L still had an ally in her.

"Set-up or not, _we're _still off the hook, so we should be grateful for that, at least," Wedy noted. "You're right, though; everything about this reeks to heaven…but you know as well as I do that this could've ended a lot worse."

Aiber nodded reluctantly, getting Wedy's point.

"Yeah, but there's still L's rival to worry about, whoever _he _is. Even if L did manage to outsmart him, no doubt he might be looking for payback, and we might still end up getting burned. How do we even know it's not the guy who's sending these e-mails?"

"Look at it this way. We don't break L out, there'll be no one else left to cover our asses, and we get caught. We do break L out, we get some money out of the deal, we enjoy the ride for a little longer, and _then _we get caught. Either way, we get caught, and I don't know about you, but as long as I'm going down, I want to go down smoothly with a few more bucks in my pocket."

"Aren't you just the optimist?"

"Hey, if it makes you feel any better, once we spring L out of this Broadmoor place, we can both give him a piece of our minds."

Aiber chuckled loudly as Wedy unzipped her luggage and began to pull out her own equipment.

"At this point, I'd take that over cash."

* * *

It was almost too much to bear. He never wanted the Christmas holiday season to end as badly as he did right now.

For the past few days, Light never failed to realize the cruel trick that his liberation from Beyond had played on him. Unable to leave anywhere, not even as far as a convenience store, without some sort of accompaniment, he'd been made a hostage in his own home. Christmas itself was still a couple of days away, so hopefully the holiday merriment would provide a change of pace.

Meanwhile, his father was still acting as leader of the SIS-L Japan Branch; however, the organization's goal had changed. With L back in Watari's custody, their current objective was to capture their lead (and as far as they were concerned, their _only_) suspect in the case, Beyond Birthday. Though Beyond may not have kidnapped L or Naomi, he certainly had something to do with what had happened, and he'd committed a number of other crimes, including escape from prison, attempted murder, and Light's own kidnapping. And if he still had the gun he took from Raye Penber, then in a country where gun ownership was illegal, he'd probably be picked up for that, too.

And yet…if everything was as Naomi said…

Then Beyond may have been justified in his actions…

"_A…he was…someone who was trained to take over L's place, a replacement. Beyond was supposed to be a replacement, too…but then…_"

If ever this problem resolved itself, even for a long time afterwards, he'd never forget what Naomi told him right before he and his father escorted them to Narita Airport. Obviously she'd sounded a little emotional, and she hadn't been sure how much she'd be able to accomplish once she returned to Los Angeles, but it'd also been obvious that she wasn't going to let her emotions get in the way of doing whatever was necessary.

If anything, he admired the former FBI agent deeply. Stuck between her skeptical fiancé, Watari's omnipotence, and a potentially homicidal genius she'd not only met once, but twice...and she was still bent on rescuing L.

And for whatever reason, so was Beyond.

Sighing, Light pushed himself off of the bed, a couple of books and papers toppling over in the process. That was the extent of his frustration and his lack of freedom—he wasn't even sure if he could study anymore. College exams started virtually nationwide a few weeks after school reconvened in January, so naturally he still had that to worry about, but even that had been pushed at the back of his mind. Lately, all he could do was live his life through the computer and television on his desk, a witness to an outside world which was ignorant of what was really going on.

First, however, e-mail.

Settling himself in his desk chair, Light powered up the computer and logged in, his zeal for discovering the truth further draining from him.

Even as he spotted another mysterious e-mail, he barely blinked. Even this sole radical element in his life had quickly grown stale.

…Well, he thought it did.

When he clicked on the e-mail link, this came up.

* * *

_light illuminates darkness. light shows the truth. However, Light cannot shine where angels already are, and the ocean's water will only reflect the light back. light must stay with the sun and continue to lead the lady scorpion and the crab on their quest, but to go beyond such limitations is the solution to everything._

* * *

Light literally backed away from the computer screen, disbelief smeared all across his face, for the first few minutes completely ignoring the multiple links attached to the e-mail that led to the resources he'd need in order to pull off his next few moves.

Then Beyond was planning to leave the country.

And this hadn't been a part of any of his original plans.

Well, this was nothing new; Light had been stumbling around blind thus far, though he'd hoped Beyond would at least have been lucid enough to actually follow through with his own meticulous plan.

Unless something had suddenly come up.

Either way, Light certainly didn't see how Beyond would be able to leave without being found. The SIS-L had people swarmed all over the Narita and Haneda airports, and it was also more than likely the Los Angeles Branch had their own people combing the California city for him.

Then again, Beyond was smart enough—and bold enough—to find a way out. He'd been able to elude them so far, and during the entire time he'd been with Beyond, he had a pretty clear idea of how the former successor of L operated. Whereas some set their strategy using evasive maneuvers and deceptions, Beyond made bold, offensive moves, then while the enemy was overwhelmed, only then did he assess the situation thoroughly. This certainly wasn't how Light would have handled this, but obviously Beyond knew what he was doing.

Hopefully Light would be able to keep his own wits about him.

* * *

_Riiing…ring…_

Neylon jumped, brusquely roused from his drowsy state, nearly bruising his arms on the dashboard. Looking around the dark interior of the car frantically, he realized a few seconds later that it was his cell phone. Just out of his range of vision, Bid scoffed silently at the bespectacled man's nervy behavior and settled himself back into the reclined driver's seat. As he'd been saying to himself all this time, his accomplice would never survive in the mafia at this rate.

"Yeah?" Neylon mumbled.

"_How's it looking?_"

The blond man rubbed his eyes, adjusted his glasses, then stared blankly out of the windshield, trying to make out the surroundings as best as he could from the dark shadows of night and the glaring streetlamps. Even though their car was positioned at an odd angle, almost bordering on the painfully conspicuous, they had a clear view of the apartment building where Misora and Penber lived. They'd been here on and off since the couple first returned to Los Angeles, monitoring their movements so they could think of a better plan of action.

"Nothing much. Looks like they've been staying home most of the time, and they only leave to do errands. The security's a bit more lax than I thought, though. Probably because they already got their hands full with trying to find this Beyond Birthday guy…hey, boss?"

"_What?_"

Bid heard the gruff voice over the phone, and he heaved an exasperated sigh. He knew this routine. Neylon was going to bother Ross with his doubts and fears again.

"How're we gonna pull this off, anyway?" Neylon began asking. "We can't just burst in there, but we don't really have a way to draw her out, either, and if we _do _pull this off, we're gonna have the SIS-L on our backs."

"_Relax_," Ross barked."_And speaking of Beyond Birthday, I want you and Bid to come back for right now. I've been talking with the boss, and it looks like we already got a plan drawn out for us._"

"What does Beyond Birthday have to do with this?"

"_If you'll get here, we can talk about it_," Ross snapped. "_Now hurry up._"

Neylon winced again as his superior abruptly hung up on him. Rolling his eyes, Bid leaned into the steering wheel to start the engine and shift gears.

"You really gotta learn when to shut up sometimes."

(End Chapter 28)


	29. Primrose Path and MacArthur Park

Title: Silent Consonant

By: Dr. Kim-chan

Author's Note: Aw. You guys are much too nice in your reviews. I _am_ actually busy writing novels IRL (which will more or less explain the increasingly longer delays, I'm sad to say), so I don't know if that has anything to do with my writing style in my fics. I just think too much about fictional people's lives, that's all. My only hope is that I can branch out into other fanfic genres; I'm quite capable of doing humor, too, and I have my preference of pairings (though I'd never do straight-on romance. Romance/comedy, maybe, and hold the lemon.)

And my mom just reminded me that I had the exact same hair-twirling habit as Near when I was a toddler. _Creeeepy_. For me it was genetic/learned behavior, since my grandmother also had that habit. I'll have to think about that…but as far as I can see, a majority of Wammy's kids seem to come to the orphanage with, or while in the orphanage they develop, a range of anxiety and/or obsessive disorders. Even _more_ food for thought, huh?

…See, I'm doing it again! I can't stop analyzing. But apparently you guys love my crazy mind, so I'll continue to provide.

* * *

Schizoid personality disorder.

Insomnia.

Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder.

Mysophobia.

Paranoid personality disorder.

Stress.

Pale yellow.

L stared straight ahead, blankly, constantly ruminating over those descriptions. The first six the psychiatrist had used after submitting L to a thorough assessment, a brief observation of his habits, and consulting Watari on his medical past. The last one referred to the sickly-looking color of the walls. He'd seen some white walls, some a deceptive shade of light blue, but for the most part they were yellow. Not a happy yellow. Not sunshine.

Primrose, he thought it was called.

His face twitched slightly as yet another set of security doors were shut and locked behind them. It'd been the nurse who'd been called to accompany the doctor and L to the final part of this first day—and what the former detective feared was probably one of his last: they were showing him to the room he'd be living in for the duration of his stay at Broadmoor Hospital. Out of the four buildings used for the patients' living quarters, the ultimate decision had been to put L in the second-floor ward in Oxford House, one of the newer buildings built on the premises.

A few times he'd passed a few catatonic patients wandering the halls and the centrally-located common rooms, a freedom that, according to the psychiatrist who was showing him around, wasn't as available in some of the other houses. L certainly suspected that the psychiatrist had been put up to this—more than an eighty percent chance, actually—but even he hadn't registered L as so much of a threat that he needed to be placed in a more restrictive building such as Kent.

Still, with these slightly relaxed regulations, an oppressive presence still permeated the complex, and L felt more alone than he ever had in his twenty-five-year life. After the assessment, Watari had a few final parting words with the psychiatrist and left. Watari didn't say anything to his once-before prodigy, but even if he had, L wouldn't have said anything back.

As he'd already determined before they left Japan, Watari was no longer Watari.

A dozen more thoughts had occupied his mind a few minutes ago, but since he set foot in Broadmoor, for the first time in years, L allowed his mind to drift into a perfect blank. Until such an opportunity presented itself, L had almost no control over his life, and any plans he made right now would most likely be compromised by external forces.

Maybe this was what Naomi meant.

"_Then this isn't about winning and losing at all. He wanted you to feel what A felt, what he felt…_"

Another click of a lock, this one quieter.

"And this will be your room…"

L regained his attention span as he was ushered into a stamp-sized room. A perfectly made bed lined with crisp white linens languished in one corner, the other sparse pieces of furniture anchored firmly to prevent any potentially violent inhabitant from using them in "creative" ways. Right across from the door, a narrow window obstructed by bars offered a view of the imposing red brick wall encircling the entire complex, a secondary chain-link fence bordering it, and a small dirt road and forest in the distance.

Until Watari or Beyond won out in the conflict raging outside those walls, this was to be his life.

Primrose and high walls.

He barely heard another brief set of instructions from the psychiatrist, detailing more of the standard schedules of Broadmoor and what the staff had in store for him both later that afternoon and tomorrow, including the possibility of scheduling therapy sessions to help him with his alleged mysophobia and obsessive-compulsive personality disorder. He briefly glanced behind his shoulder as, unfazed by L's obstinate silence, the nurse closed and locked the door, leaving him to his devices.

If powerless and betrayed was what he was supposed to feel, then Beyond had certainly done his job.

* * *

"He picked a hell of a place to break out of."

Wedy felt quite ambivalent at this point. On the one hand, it hadn't been too terribly difficult to dig up some data on Broadmoor Hospital, as generalized as the information was, but on the other hand, everything she'd pulled up was proving to be quite troubling.

Aiber looked up from his own laptop.

"The security's that bad?"

"It's not too technologically advanced…kind of old-fashioned, really, but it's extensive as hell. A high brick inner wall, an outer chain-link fence that looks like it's curved at the top…I'm also looking at metal detectors and body checks at the entrance, surveillance cameras outside and inside, barred windows, and security doors in the corridors…but that's _far_ from our concern."

"It gets _worse_?"

"Unfortunately."

Wedy scrolled down a couple of pages.

"After a patient escaped and killed two girls in 1952, they put up a system of sirens. They test them every Monday afternoon, so if they sound out on any other day, it definitely means an escape. To prevent escapes during Mondays, they lock up all the patients, and if someone _does _get out, they shut down the whole damn town and set up checkpoints at all the major roads. And the sirens aren't just in Crowthorne, either. There's about eleven more in about four other nearby towns, so it's about a twenty-five mile radius—_at least_."

"So even if we do get L out, we're not safe until we're almost halfway to London," Aiber protested, throwing his hands up.

"I do see one advantage. Like I said, the system's pretty outdated; the sirens are still using the telephone connection infrastructure, and utility workers have set them off at least once. But aside from the sirens, we still got one big problem."

Aiber raised an eyebrow, and Wedy grimaced a little, hoping that her accomplice would have figured it out on his own.

"L. We don't even know which building L's being kept in."

"Oh."

Wedy rubbed the side of her head, poring over one of the maps she pulled up. Aiber was clever and handsome enough, but she sincerely hoped he'd prove himself to be a little more useful during this mission.

"Looks like we have three choices: Kent, Oxford, and Bedford. There was another house, Somerset, but that's one about to be demolished."

Setting her laptop aside, Wedy leaned forward, locking stares with the extremely annoyed con man.

"Hey, don't freak out just yet," she warned. "It'll be difficult, but it's not exactly impossible. The thing about security systems is…you don't look at them as a whole. You break them down into simple steps. It takes care of all the potential details, and you don't waste time overanalyzing and worrying over every little thing. That's the key to being a thief—just waltz in like there's no security at all."

"Well, that would explain that charming optimism of yours."

Smirking in response to Aiber's remark, Wedy tapped a nail on the polished coffee table, tracing lines over and over again as if she were drawing up all her plans on a piece of paper.

"The first problem is scoping out the place. Second problem is figuring out how to get around the security. Third problem is getting into the place. Fourth problem is finding L. Fifth problem is getting out. And if we have to, the last problem is getting the hell out of England."

"Okay…" Aiber muttered reluctantly.

Wedy picked her laptop up again, this time bringing up an aerial satellite image of Broadmoor from an online map service.

"The first problem shouldn't be too hard to solve. I'm looking at all these amateur pictures of the boundary walls I found online, so I'm assuming it's not exactly illegal to go around and take a look at the place. There's also this road that goes all around the south and east part of the walls. That may have to be our exit road, so I want to look around there too."

She put her laptop on hibernate mode and got up from her loveseat.

"So whose car are we taking?"

The change of subject had been brought up so quickly, for a second or two Aiber was lost.

"You want to go right now?"

"Hey, it's not like we have anything else to do, and he _did _say 'as soon as possible'. Besides, I want to go around and see what I can do about those sirens."

She picked up a print-out of the Bracknell Forest area that surrounded Broadmoor Hospital, her own handwritten notes and scribbles all over it. Glancing at the paper, she smirked to herself.

_You and your insane plans, L. If I didn't know any better, I'd almost think that you _trusted_ us…_

* * *

"Beyond's in Los Angeles?"

"_Unfortunately so. He sent an e-mail to my private server several hours ago alerting me to this fact, as well as conveying a warning concerning Misora, Penber, and the three of you. He didn't exactly make it clear what he plans to do, but at the very least I fear that Misora will be the first target. I've already informed the head of the Los Angeles Branch of the SIS-L, and they'll be performing most of the investigative work while they figure out how he slipped by the security perimeter at LAX, but I urge you to be on your guard as well and do what you can. I'm still in England, so I won't be in Los Angeles for quite some time._"

"Understood."

The web cam browser window closed up. Staring vacantly at the monitor for a few moments, Near twirled around in his oversized office chair to face the rest of the group—minus one member. Bullook was still out on the streets on lookout duty, and now it seemed as if that had been a very wise move.

And, as bizarre as it was, thanks to Beyond, they now had the perfect excuse to make contact with Naomi Misora.

"Carter, please call Bullook," Near instructed. "But I'd like to speak to her myself this time…"

* * *

Her face scrunched up in confusion.

"He's _here_? But we were watching the airport like hawks! How'd he get past us?" Bullook demanded.

She balanced her cell phone in the crook of her shoulder, her hands firmly on the steering wheel as she turned onto a side street that ran parallel to the Hollywood Freeway. With her outside, Loud staying close to the terminals inside, and SIS-L members everywhere in-between, they'd kept an intense watch on the Los Angeles airport.

Was Beyond truly that brilliant?

"_I can't make any certain guesses, but the important thing to remember is that we can't underestimate what Beyond's capable of_," Near chided. "_He may have entered the city by other means. LAX is obviously the easiest way into Los Angeles from Japan, but I think the SIS-L overlooked the fact that there are other airports. He may not have even touched down in Los Angeles._"

Bullook sighed in exasperation.

"We can only do so much with so little people, Near."

"_I'm aware of that, and in retrospect that was the SIS-L's principal weakness from the start. Watari told us he'd try to come straight here from England right away, so that should help, but that'll take a while._"

"So what do you want us to do now?"

"_Watari suspected that Beyond will go after Naomi Misora first, so we must get in contact with her as soon as possible_," Near said. "_Other members of the SIS-L are already en route to her apartment to escort her here. Hurry and join up with them, but stay at a distance._"

"…Wait. You're going to meet with her in person? What about—"

"_I don't think we have much of a choice right now. We know Misora was previously in contact with Beyond, so if there's any connection between what's happening now and what happened over a week ago in Japan, we have to figure out what. Also, it'll be easier if she's in the immediate custody of the SIS-L._"

"…All right. I'm almost there. I'll call you back when I'm behind them."

She briefly took one hand off the steering wheel to hang up the phone and stuff it into the armrest next to the seat, grinding a heel into the accelerator.

Two warring geniuses, one of them a serial killer.

A former FBI agent.

The SIS-L and Watari.

Being in the Secret Service hadn't nearly been as hectic as this.

* * *

A gray-colored car passed by, the driver a stern-faced blonde female, but Rashual Bid didn't think much of it.

Moving a few strands of black hair out of his face, he kept a careful watch on the road's slow traffic before digging his cell phone out of his jacket pocket.

"Irius, what's up on your end?"

Pause.

"Toward Wilshire? All right. Hurry and cut 'em off before they get out of MacArthur Park. We'll corner them there. Me and Neylon'll come up from behind."

* * *

_Only you, Beyond…_

Naomi glared out of the passenger's side backseat window, unsure about whether to feel scared, annoyed, or extremely grateful.

For the past two days she'd hardly been able to concentrate on planning her wedding, much more concerned about where L was right now, whether he was still alive, what Watari planned to do, whether Beyond would relinquish his freedom if this had been the desired end result he'd wanted to accomplish—and most importantly, whether she should tell all she knew to the three successors at the FBI field office.

Raye hadn't said much about it since they returned to Los Angeles, though it'd been painfully obvious that his innate sense of justice wouldn't let him erase the whole ugly affair from memory. For once, Naomi hadn't pressed him on the issue, either; it was taking all she had to believe it herself.

Then out of nowhere, today the small detachment of SIS-L members who'd been keeping an eye on them came up to their apartment and informed them of the sudden development. Beyond Birthday was reported to have sneaked into Los Angeles somehow, and that she and Raye were most likely one of his potential targets.

And here they were now, being escorted to the FBI field office as a necessary precaution. One black sedan went on at a short distance ahead of them, while they trailed on from behind, hoping to look as inconspicuous as possible. Though it was still a bit of a long shot that they'd be able to meet with L's successors, she couldn't have asked for a better opportunity to try.

Through the tinted window, she saw an increase of palm trees and other such vegetation as the caravan approached MacArthur Park. The street widened slightly, but the traffic had slowed down considerably, a couple of cars parked alongside the other side of the road near the lake.

The intersection at St. Park View Street loomed ahead.

Tires squealed.

Naomi and Raye barely had time to brace themselves before the driver stomped on the brake, pitching everyone forward a few inches.

Confused, Naomi hunched over and peered over the back of the front seat. The escort car in front of them had stopped, too, and in front of them, a new coupe and a slightly older four-door car sitting at weird angles across both lanes of Wilshire Boulevard as if they were creating a blockade, their tires still smoking. As far as she could make out, the doors were swinging open, a handful of men climbing out.

"What the hell's going on?" the agent in the passenger's seat grumbled, his hand already on the car door handle.

He'd barely asked the question before gunshots ripped through the windshield.

(End Chapter 29)

Author's After Note: I know I've confused people before, but I knew for certain some people would get confused by this, so I'm clarifying it right now, though it'll be discussed in a bit more detail at a later part in the story.

In a single sentence: Beyond planning to go to Los Angeles and the mafia's plan is _completely _coincidental (for once). Yep. Coincidental. I have no other explanation. Disappointing, huh?

But then again, doesn't fate work that way sometimes? And who here wants to bet that Beyond will use the opportunity to his advantage? (raises hand)

As to obsessive-compulsive personality disorder, it's different from obsessive-compulsive disorder. OCPD doesn't have to entail ritualistic behaviors such as excessive checking, counting, or cleaning of things, which I didn't believe L had (at least, not to that extreme extent); it's more about a fixation and a need for rules, regulations, and orders. However, a couple of the symptoms displayed in OCD can also manifest in someone with OCPD. More info on the disorders listed can be found on the Internet.

Also, pertaining to the title of the chapter, "Primrose Path" is also a term that refers to being led astray. Yay for poetic metaphors.


	30. Maneuvers and Mentalities

Title: Silent Consonant

By: Dr. Kim-chan

Author's Note: Woah. Longest time I've ever gone without updating this story. Sorry, everyone. (bows deeply) On top of my novel(s) in progress, the first week of August was a bevy of birthdays. (waits for all the Beyond jokes to subside) First, it was Reiji Namikawa's on the third (one of the only three guys I fangirl over in Death Note, the other two being L and Gevanni.) Second was my nephew's on the fourth, third was DeviantArt's. Finally, I myself turned twenty-one on the ninth (crap, I'm old)! In a rare moment, I'd decided to give myself some time off from writing, both in my book and my fics, so I got some much-needed rest (not to mention an Xbox 360. Best birthday present _ever_.) Then August came to a close with some family issues, so…yeah. (sticks tongue out)

But September is a new month! Most of us have to get back to school, and I can get back to business! We're at the thirtieth chapter and the excitement's still not showing any sign of letting up. So without further ado, we return to MacArthur Park…

* * *

Bullets.

Glass shattering.

Shouting.

Gunfire.

Naomi was surrounded by chaos.

The last clear memory she had before a couple of strange cars forced the SIS-L's caravan to stop in the middle of MacArthur Park was Raye flinging himself on top of her and dragging her down as closely to the floor of the car.

As confused and afraid as she was, however, through the haze, a determination to find out why all this was happening approached the forefront of her mind. She kept her eyes open, peeking out through the soft shell of her fiancé whenever she could. Even the fact that neither she nor Raye had firearms on them didn't prevent her from thinking that she could do something to help.

Her guilt only deepened when the smell of blood hit her nostrils, leading her eyes toward the passenger's seat. The body of the agent who'd been sitting there now lay slack across the upholstery, his soulless eyes pointed toward the fragmented windshield.

Feeling the pain from the uncomfortable position she was in, Naomi attempted to move her shoulder an inch.

She heard a groan.

The scent of blood got stronger.

"Raye?!"

* * *

Near's head turned at the rush of sounds outside. Every so often, hurried footsteps and irritated calls for more information could be heard. Phones rang somewhere. The closed world of the FBI office outside seemed to have come alive for the first time in months—probably years.

Carter turned his head, meaning to leave the room to find out what was going out, but before he had the chance, his own cell phone rang furiously.

"Hello…Bullook, is that you? What the hell am I hearing in the background…what?! Where?! Are any police there yet…fine. If you can, get Misora and Penber out of there. I'll be there as soon as I can!"

He hung up, his face a deep shade of red.

"There's a shootout going down at MacArthur Park. The agents who were escorting Misora and Penber got intercepted by some gunmen. Loud, you stay here and contact Watari. If worse comes to worse—I don't care what you do, just get 'em the hell out of Los Angeles."

Loud nodded and dashed towards the nearest terminal. Carter patted himself down to make sure he had adequate firepower in his shoulder holster, and then bounded out of the room, leaving the room as silent as it had been before his phone rang.

Near, Mello, and Matt took an extremely long glance at each other, and even Loud couldn't help but peek over his shoulder.

"It can't be Beyond," Mello whispered, which made Near's eyebrows raise all the more. For the first time in a long time, he wasn't displaying mystification or the rage that often resulted from that same mystification.

It was pure shellshock.

"But it's great timing, isn't it? Beyond sent an e-mail about being in Los Angeles, and put out some sort of threat against Misora. If he's already been here for some time, he would have had time to set this up. If nothing else, he's killed before, and he tried to kill L at the drop-off in Japan, so we know he's capable of violence," Matt said.

Mello shot him an incredulous glare.

"Beyond never goes for outright massacres, though!" the blond shouted, making Loud wince a little. "Even in the Wara Ningyo Murders, he only killed three people—no more than what he had to do to carry out his scheme, and he always drugged them first. And if he is behind this shootout, he's not there by himself, if he's even there at all; you'd have to be a lot bolder than Beyond to take on three cars full of armed agents...and I also want to know how he knew about that beforehand."

"Well…he's a first-class hacker, we know that much, and he probably thought of all this before he even showed up here."

"So we have a couple of theories," Near muttered. "Either this was simply another part of Beyond's elaborate plot, or this is a result of someone else's interference…and if it's the former, then the motive either has to do with what happened at the hostage drop-off in Japan or Misora knowing something Beyond didn't want her to know."

He turned slightly in his chair, clanking together a pile of dice on the desk.

"What I can't see is what this has to do with L, since he's no longer out of the picture, which by now I guess was Beyond's goal the entire time," Near continued. "If Beyond had been trying to get at L this whole time, then we do have to call into question why Beyond would go so far as to attack Misora. He may be capable of murder, but like Mello said, he doesn't take any unnecessary risks, and he prefers to work alone, unless he's taken an exception with this plan."

Another silence, and for once Mello felt something akin to gratefulness, since it sounded like Near was on his side.

But something he said bothered him…

…_since he's no longer in the picture, which by now I guess was Beyond's goal the entire time…_

"Wait a minute. You just said you thought Beyond wanted L gone," Mello said.

"Yes?"

"But L isn't gone. He's in England with Watari."

"But Watari also said there was a strong possibility we would take his place, so they might also be in the midst of making those arrangements as well."

"…So you're saying Beyond already knew what Watari would do after he found L?"

The ensuing silence was absolutely deafening. Even Near looked uncomfortable with his unintentional hypothesis, and began twirling his hair again.

"…I don't know."

* * *

An engine growled right outside.

Naomi glanced up to see the roof of a car abruptly grinding to a stop only a couple of feet away, as if the two were parked right next to each other in a parking lot. A few seconds later, she heard a door opening, and then the rear passenger door opened, the two doors overlapping to make some sort of one-ended tunnel leading from one car to the other.

Her next view was a stern-faced blond tightly gripping a handgun, but it only took a second for Naomi to assess that she wasn't an enemy. If Naomi had been psychic, she would've also known that, just a few minutes ago, she'd used that same gun to take down two of the goons who'd ambushed the escorts.

In that same second, Bullook saw streaks of tears on Naomi's face.

"What's wrong?!"

"I think my fiancé's been shot!" Naomi yelled back, her voice sounding choked. "He's not responding!"

Immediately, the former Secret Service agent jumped into action, more or less literally. She hopped out of the back seat, crouching behind the shield of doors, and lifted Raye off of Naomi.

Visually, it _did_ look dire. A large bloodstain blotted the side of his shirt, and his eyes were screwed shut. However, amidst the noise, Bullook leaned in and listened carefully, her fingers checking certain spots.

"He's breathing, but we gotta get him out of here right now! You too! Come on!"

Combining their strength, the two women hefted Raye's body up and carefully dragged him into the backseat of Bullook's car, Naomi climbing in after him—and not a moment too soon, as another stray bullet cracked a window. Giving no thought to modesty, Bullook made an inelegant leap over the armrest and back into the driver's seat just as the sound of police sirens drowned out the gunfire.

"About damn time," Bullook hissed.

Craning her head back to watch the rear windshield, she shifted gears and stomped on the accelerator, rocketing out of a lethal MacArthur Park.

* * *

Aiber emitted a low whistle, Wedy blankly staring out of the window.

Along a stretch of Kentigern Drive in the town of Crowthorne, a formidable red-brick wall curved along the west side of Broadmoor Hospital, laced on the outside by a metal fence that looked just as formidable.

It was more or less what Wedy had seen in the pictures online, but to see it in person brought home the reality of what they were about to attempt.

Twilight began to draw itself over the countryside, leaving the duo with the memory of a hard day's work. They'd spent most of the day driving around the neighboring towns, scoping out each and every location of the mental hospital's emergency sirens. Crowthorne was their last destination, and by then, she'd fully formulated the first part of the plan.

By a fortuitous twist, they'd arrived in England on Sunday. They'd come back to Crowthorne early tomorrow morning to hear the siren, and tonight they'd work on infiltrating Broadmoor.

Tomorrow would also be Wedy's only chance to disable the sirens. It was only natural that she wanted to wait until the sirens were tested on Monday, but in the end she decided to only disable the ones in Crowthorne. She figured that, as the original system, the rest simply received the original signal and echoed the alarm. Even if that wasn't the case, if Crowthorne didn't hear the sirens until any other town did, it'd delay the blockade they would put around the area, giving them a chance to get back to London.

Aside from all that, however, their biggest problem was the lack of time. Once Wedy got in, she had a little less than a week to scope out the internal security, find a way around it, find L, get into the building he was being kept, and find a way to get him out. Though she didn't expect it, she also had to entertain the possibility that L could be drugged past the point of lucidity.

Sighing, Aiber brought the car out of its slow crawl and moved along down the road, trying to find his way back to a main road.

"Well, you got a lot on your plate, don't you?"

"_We _got a lot on our plate, my charming accomplice," Wedy said sarcastically. "So how should we do this? Pull the 'psychiatrist looking for a new job' ruse?"

"Depends on who's going in…and I'm guessing it'll be you?"

"Might as well. I'm sure it'll be a lot tighter inside the place, and I can work under pressure."

"I can work under pressure. I just can't pick a lock as easily as you can…and if you're going in as a psychiatrist or nurse, we'll have to scrounge up a load of paperwork. Nothing we're not used to, but we have some time constraints here. Besides, even then you probably won't be able to find good audio equipment in time—not anything you can hide on your body easily, anyway."

Aiber smirked.

"What if you were admitted as a patient?"

Wedy immediately turned her head around, and if Aiber hadn't been so bemused by the idea, he would have wilted under the blonde woman's glare.

"_A patient?_"

"I'm serious," Aiber reassured, trying to shrink his smile. "I know you're not gonna get as much access around the place, but you won't get hounded by any supervisors trying to monitor your work, and you won't have to clock out at night, so you get even more time to look around, and the only things we'd have to make up is your personal information and medical history. Besides, what harm do they really expect from anyone suffering from severe depression?"

"Severe depression?" Wedy raised an eyebrow. "Two minutes and you've already come up with a debilitating mental disorder for me. How long have you been cooking up this little scheme?"

"Well, it won't matter if you don't like the idea."

Now it was Wedy's turn to smirk, adding a small chuckle.

"It's actually got some genius to it, I must admit."

"And some accuracy. The way L's been jerking us around lately, I think I'm about to lose my own mind."

"Well, I hate to deprive you of urgent medical attention, but I need you to stay sane and stay outside to pull this off perfectly. Since you so cleverly figured out a way for me to get in here, figure out a way to help me get over these damn walls."

* * *

_Riiiing._

"Loud…Carter. What happened?"

Near barely twitched as Loud engaged in a short phone conversation with Carter. Guessing by what was being said, things had more or less been resolved at MacArthur Park. The bedlam in the outside corridors seemed to have calmed down, as well.

"No, Watari's still tied up with business in England…all right. If anything comes up…okay."

The dark-haired man hung up.

"So I guess everyone's still alive," Mello muttered.

"A few of our agents were killed," Loud said quietly, taken aback a little at the teen's brusqueness. "Bullook's okay, and so is Miss Misora, but Raye Penber was taken to Good Samaritan Hospital in critical condition. They still don't know who was behind the attack, but the LAPD arrested the two surviving gunmen at the scene, and since this falls under SIS-L jurisdiction, some of our people will be present at the interrogation. We should know something soon."

Mello looked down and pouted. Matt hung his head a little, fiddling with the buttons of his handheld, but Near's eyes remained glued to his dice.

_Follow Thirteen, and do not make the mistakes of Twelve, or else there will only be twenty-two left…_

As much of a mess as this made, it simply boiled down to yet another challenge. Whether this was Beyond or not, a new war was being waged in this city.

_Follow Thirteen, and do not make the mistakes of Twelve…_

But what was the mistake L had made?

Even as far back as the Los Angeles BB Murder Cases four years ago, everything seemed to have a single common thread.

One of them was A and whatever happened at Wammy's House all those years ago.

The other was Naomi Misora.

The other water-bearer.

Near lifted his head.

"Loud, take me to Good Samaritan Hospital."

(End Chapter 30)


	31. Martyr

Title: Silent Consonant

By: Dr. Kim-chan

Author's Note: I'm so glad to be back working on this story, and it feels even better to see that old reviewers still remember me (and forgive me, hopefully), while new reviewers have dropped in.

And oh. (slaps self) I forgot! Near's birthday fell on August 24th. Let's see…he'd be nineteen now? Awesome. And hello to fellow Leo, MysticalTears. (gives high-five) Don't despair. I literally cringe at the stuff I wrote when I was first starting out here, but now I'm getting great feedback from nice people like you and AishiExcel, which makes it all worthwhile. As for age limits on writing fanfiction, my stance on it is basically this: As long as you're a fan, you can write fanfiction. That simple. Incidentally, when I went to a fanfiction panel at an anime convention this year, I found out that there were _thirty-year-old_ fanfic writers. So I can only get even better from here, can I?

Also, researching drugs and various therapy techniques…_so not fun_ (though you do learn some interesting things). And for the most part I'm guessing about the standard procedure in Broadmoor, though I do know a little bit about their rules and whatnot.

Anyway…um…enjoy the chapter. (runs off)

* * *

"…_at least eight fatalities have been reported, including one bystander, four FBI agents, and three of the gunmen. In addition, there were at least six injuries, two of them critical. So far authorities have told us that the shootout was related to the worldwide organization of the Special Investigations Section for L—which has been in operation since the beginning of this month—and two of the witnesses in the SIS-L's case, but no further information was given._

"_While the LAPD have played their part and will continue to do so, we've also been told that investigation of the incident at MacArthur Park will officially fall under the jurisdiction of the federal government due to the initial involvement of the FBI and the nature of the incident. At the moment, the identities of the two remaining perpetrators taken into custody remain unknown…_"

The television screen droned on with the remainder of the news report, but with the push of a remote control button, Beyond cut the anchorman off.

A bullet train from Tokyo to Osaka. Nearly three hours.

Departed Kansai International Airport for San Francisco, with a stopover in Seoul. Approximately fifteen hours.

From San Francisco International, a local flight to San Diego. About one hour and thirty minutes.

A drive from San Diego to the discreet Brentwood Inn on the outskirts of Los Angeles, with a stopover at a convenience store for some snacks. Almost three hours.

That had been his yesterday—as well as a good chunk of the night that was now turning into a very early morning—and as could only be expected from someone who operated solely on intelligence, vengeance, and sugar-provided energy, jet lag was nonexistent.

Especially not after what he'd just heard on the news.

Before he left Japan, he charged Light with sending e-mails to Wedy, Aiber, L's successors, and Watari, each e-mail meant to serve a different purpose, each one carrying a greater risk than the one before it.

With L facing disgrace in Broadmoor, he wanted the expert thief and con man to spring him out as soon as possible. Looking back on how efficiently they extracted the data from Wammy's House, as long as he held the promise of payment under their noses, Beyond had no need to worry about them.

For L's successors, he simply wanted to warn them. If they were anything like L, they wouldn't have told Watari about the e-mail, treating it as a personal challenge and keeping themselves on their toes.

In Watari's case, it'd been more of a direct threat, though the part about harming Misora had been empty. (Neither had Beyond actually been in Los Angeles at the time the e-mail was sent; by his estimation, he'd only been halfway to San Francisco at the time.) On the contrary, he'd wanted it to act as an impetus for the SIS-L to move her closer to the successors. Again, if the successors were anything like L, and already aware of what Naomi was capable of, he'd expected them to meet.

However, for probably the first time since he first stepped foot in this city four years ago, someone other than L got the drop on him.

Temporarily unable to access Watari's communications system, he hadn't been able to track the elderly man's latest moves. However, whoever the gunmen that attacked Misora and Penber were, there was no question that Watari had dispatched them, aware that one or both of them knew about the elite project and his grisly plans for L. Being as shrewd and intelligent on the inside as he was polite on the outside, it was also no question he would take the opportunity to pin everything on Beyond. After all, Beyond had implicated himself by announcing his arrival.

Rubbing his shoulders on the headboard of the immaculate bed, Beyond curled up his body and smirked. For once, he wasn't surrounded by laptops or other pieces of machinery.

He had to admit, resting was nice.

Even if, in reality, it seemed as if there were too many things to worry about, he truly had no worries right now.

He'd already thrown efficiency and time out the window, taking the most convoluted route imaginable around the Pacific Rim, but in return he'd managed to sidestep the entire SIS-L.

And if Watari wanted him to take the fall for this conspiracy, he'd gladly take the credit.

Because as much as Watari liked to flatter himself by thinking L was powerless without him, in truth, Watari scarcely amounted to half his own experiment.

* * *

"If you insist I take this, I'm afraid I'll be left with no choice but to defend myself. Telling you my reasons for doing so would be a liability and a waste of time, but I _can_ tell you that I know the potential dangers of benzodiazepine overdose."

The nurse sighed heavily, staring not so much at the obstinate young man crouched on the edge of his bed, but at the cup clutched in his talon-like fingers. The cup contained a _safe_ dosage of temazepam, one of the drugs prescribed to this particular patient. Primarily for his insomnia, its secondary benefits as an anti-anxiety treatment and a muscle relaxant would help him with both his psychological disorders and Marfan syndrome.

And for the fourth time, she repeated this explanation to him, trying to convince him that taking it would be all for the best.

But all she got in response was the pointed glare of abysmally dark eyes ringed by unsightly bags—the entire reason he needed to take these drugs in the first place; only someone who hadn't slept well in years could develop those bags.

Due to a wave of relatively recent reforms in the past few decades, gone were the days when, if a patient refused to take medication, an all-out struggle would ensue, ending in bruises and screaming and the barbaric use of leather restraints. However, it was important that a patient followed their regular schedules so as to regain some sort of normality in their lives—if that was possible.

Sighing one last time, the nurse turned on her heel and left the room, leaving the door open. This wasn't a hapless mistake; as one of the newest buildings, operations in Oxford House spearheaded Broadmoor's reform. Each patient had a key to their door room; however, they could only travel as far as their own ward and the common room on their own floor.

And, L believed, she'd soon be coming back with reinforcements.

Only a day and a half, and he already despised his new life here.

Aside from watching for death behind his back, he missed the control and privacy he had in his day-to-day activities. With no mental challenges except for his various therapies, no one to talk to, bedtime strictly enforced, and hardly any caffeine in his regimented meals, a slight irritability and apathy had overshadowed the former detective's demeanor. Contrary to what the nurse said, he'd actually gotten four solid hours of sleep last night, though an unexplainable terror gripped him when he first woke, as if he'd forgotten something important.

Worst of all, the personal hygiene facilities here were public, including out-of-the-way surveillance to make sure no unstable patient attacked anyone. Not only did he have a lack of cherished solitude and no choice in his soap and towels, he didn't trust the area to be all that hygienic. Even when he finally mustered the courage to get in there, he waited until he was absolutely certain he was alone.

He didn't even have the comfort and familiarity of his old clothes. A regulation uniform had been presented to him on the first day. It may have been just as baggy as his jeans and shirt, but it was starchy and pulled in all the wrong places, not to mention he had no idea who used to wear it before.

About the only positive aspect was that the common room on his floor came equipped with a TV, giving him his only access to the outside world. Either his old authority shined through his ragged appearance, or no one cared, but so far he'd been able to watch the news unimpeded.

Leaving the cup of pills on the nearby table, L slid off the bed and flexed his back. Maybe that was what he'd do right now. At least until the nurses came to try and force him to take his medicine.

But just as he was about to take a step forward, he heard voices.

His paranoia getting the better of him, he rushed up to the door and closed it—not entirely, however, as he left the slightest crack between the door and the doorjamb. (If the nurse returned, though, he'd shut it in her face.)

The distant clink of the security doors at the end of the ward and an administrator's reassuring voice made him guess that a new patient was being introduced to the second floor.

By some compelling force, L stepped out of his room and lumbered towards the source of the voices. He quickly tried to rationalize this by chalking it up to a need to know whoever penetrated these walls, and thus keep himself aware of his surroundings, but no matter how he drew it, a part of him couldn't help but admit that it was sheer boredom moving his legs.

Inching along the corridor, he reached an oddly-angled corner and peered around through the security door separating his ward from the one next door.

A despondent red-haired woman ambled up a hallway parallel to the one L was hiding himself in right now, flanked by one of the mental hospital's administrators and a male nurse. In a couple of moments, they would disappear around a bend.

But something didn't seem right about the woman's behavior. While her makeup-less face had the look of someone suffering from a mental disorder, her blue eyes darted around with the expertise of someone casing the place, examining every square inch of her surroundings...

"It's almost bedtime, Mr. Coil. Please return to your room."

L winced as he felt the overbearing presence of a nurse behind his back. In the same moment, the red-haired woman paused as the name rang a bell within her mind.

The two patients looked at each other through the bars.

And both their eyes widened.

* * *

Halle straightened her back, her head following the pull of gravity until her eyes were pointed up towards the chalky whiteness and blinding fluorescence of the ceiling. Without moving again, she peered out of the corners of her eyes until she caught a glimpse of the raven-haired woman sitting across from her.

As a member of the SIS-L, she definitely knew about Naomi Misora and Raye Penber, and her past showed. Being a former member of the Secret Service, Halle both admired and was deeply concerned about the other woman's stoic expression. A couple of hallways and doors away, doctors were doing their best with her fiancé. Carter showed up a couple of hours ago to assess the situation, and then he returned to base to find out whatever he could about the perpetrators.

Most importantly, with her mind more or less recuperated from the bedlam at MacArthur Park, she now shifted her focus to making sense out of it all.

Being the primary suspect in the case of L's disappearance, Halle also knew almost as much about Beyond Birthday as she did about Naomi, and the main and only source of his profile were the records of the Los Angeles BB Murder Cases four years ago and the subsequent investigations and court case. She'd cringed when she saw some of the items: the pictures of the corpses, the crime scenes, the frighteningly cryptic clues that Naomi and L deciphered.

Yet, for that exact same reason, she couldn't imagine Beyond pulling off a murder attempt of this magnitude. The MO didn't match. Then again, as clever as he was, maybe he changed tactics simply to throw them off and make them think that he didn't do it. And there were probably a dozen reasons he'd go after Misora, not least of which was what happened at the Tsukiji fish market just before Misora and Penber left Japan.

Still…

Footsteps.

The two women craned their heads, and while Halle looked shocked, Misora's face was one of curiosity.

A dark-haired, serious-looking man in a suit walked up the corridor, but it wasn't him who had elicited their responses.

Walking with him was a young boy who barely looked eight or nine years old, though he was more around thirteen or fourteen. Less than five feet tall, the severe solemnity of his gaze, hidden under a fluffy mop of white hair, could bring almost any adult to his level. Spotless pajamas made his already frail body look absolutely emaciated, his toes pointing slightly inward.

His eyes were focused squarely on Misora.

* * *

Mello leafed through the contents of the manila folder, Matt looking over his shoulder. A little ways off, Carter leaned against a desk, his brawny arms folded casually in front of his chest.

"I'm surprised you got it so quickly," Matt piped up. Mello grunted in agreement.

"We put a rush on it. Besides, they pretty much had no choice; this is in the FBI's hands now. They weren't exactly happy about it, though," Carter muttered.

"Well, tough luck for them," Mello grumbled. He closed the manila folder, slapped it on the table in front of him, and made a quarter turn in his chair.

"So who were these goons?"

"Jack Neylon and Glen Humphreys…aliases, not their real names. They check out as Kal Snyder and Ralph Bay, respectively."

Mello cocked an eyebrow.

"So they're career criminals?"

"As career as you can get—they're mafia. Both the LAPD and the FBI have been looking for these guys for months."

At this, Mello swerved around completely.

"The mafia? What do they have to do with this?!" he demanded loudly.

Carter's face soured considerably—a sign that whatever would leave his mouth next would sound absolutely terrible.

"Bay asked for a lawyer right away, but after a couple of hours of pressure Snyder was more willing to talk. He said that someone ordered a hit on Misora and Penber."

"Beyond?!"

"…L."

* * *

"Loud, what the hell's going on?!" Halle hissed, the click of her heels on the linoleum sounding as harsh as her voice. "Why is _he _here, especially at a time like this? Who's with Mel—the other two?!"

Loud wilted a little, but Near threw her a cool glance.

"That's exactly why I wanted to come out to speak to Misora personally. As for Carter, he returned to the office about an hour ago. Right now they're waiting to receive information about the interrogations. Besides, we know Misora's been involved with L to the point that she probably already knows about me, anyway. As you said, these are extenuating circumstances."

Exhaling deeply, Halle retreated back to the wall, but still kept her eyes on Near as he shuffled over to Misora, who was now fully aware of the white-haired boy in front of her.

"Hello, Miss Misora. You may call me Near."

Naomi lowered her head.

"Aren't you…one of L's successors?"

Near blinked, but it wasn't out of surprise, though it returned the shock to Halle's face and gave the same expression to Loud.

"Yes," Near answered without hesitation. "If you're willing to come back to the office, you'll also have the opportunity to meet with Mello and Matt. I understand you're still waiting for news on your fiancé, though, so Mr. Loud and I will be waiting outside whenever you're prepared to leave."

As he and the male agent disappeared through the neon-marked exit, Halle shuddered at how brazenly Near gave out their information. But as he said, if Naomi spent so much time in person with L, and if she already knew this much about Near, then she most likely already knew much more about L's world than anything Near himself knew.

Meanwhile, in Naomi's own mind, a bit of sunshine sliced through the fog. She'd have never believed that one of L's successors would come to see her in person.

Maybe now she could figure out where L was, how deep Watari's project ran, who had wanted to attack them…

And maybe after that, she and Raye could get back to their lives…

"Miss Misora?"

The two women looked up again, now at a bearded doctor in a wrinkled white coat.

* * *

_Ring…_

"Carter…yeah. Yeah, I just came back from the precinct. I'll brief you when you get here. How's Misora and Penber…I see…damn, all right. I heard Near and Loud are there, too. What's going on? All right, I'll see you in a few minutes."

Carter hung up his cell phone, and immediately he buried his face in the other hand. Mello and Matt watched him closely as his fingers slowly slid downward, amazed at how much older the FBI agent suddenly looked.

"...That was Bullook. They're coming back with Misora now."

"She's coming here already? I'd think she'd want to stay for her fiancé, at least," Mello scoffed. "That bighead Near probably rushed her—"

"They just got done talking to the doctor."

Carter took another deep breath.

He blew it out.

"Penber's dead."

(End Chapter 31)


	32. Caged Birds

Title: Silent Consonant

By: Dr. Kim-chan

Author's Note: (bows head) Like I said, I'm working on a novel at the moment, and now I got a job, more or less (blah), so you'll have to expect updates to be slow from now on. Sorry. But for the past few weeks, I've been making awesome headway on both fronts, so now I'm back to "Silent Consonant" for the moment. Whee!

So who had a birthday lately? (checks list) Ide on September twenty-ninth, Gevanni on September first (why I forgot him the first time around, I don't know…), and Mrs. Yagami last Saturday! And thanks for the correction, rosethourne; Near IS eighteen (and no, I don't have a grudge against Raye, though I do question his spy skills). And wow, so many Leos coming out of the woodwork. (gives a high-five to xLawli-Popx)

So guess whose birthday will be at the end of THIS month?! I promise to have a chapter out that day. I PROMISE. There may be a new fic out, too; another serious one, just like "Some Things Are Beyond Near". Halloween—I mean, L's Birthday—inspires me for some reason.

Anyway, I've talked for way too long. Let's go.

* * *

"_I don't even know if I should tell L's successors anything. Even if they _do_ believe me, Watari might come back and brainwash them into thinking I'm a liar—God knows he's already got the whole FBI dancing to his tune. But…"_

"_But L dies if you don't say anything."_

"…_Right…"_

"…_Look, I'm not all that crazy about the idea of going up against Watari, either, but you know this is wrong. And it's not as if you don't have any proof."_

_Naomi shoots Raye a confused glance, at which point he cradles her shoulders in his hands._

"_You, me, the SIS-L Japan Branch—we all overheard what Beyond told L before he tried to kill him and ran off. At the very least, Beyond knows something about this, too, so whether you tell them or not, this is still going to end up a powder keg in danger of blowing. I think it's better if they heard all this from you rather than from him…and if they want proof, I'll go with you."_

"_What about Light?"_

"_Well, he's in Japan, so there's not much we can do about that. It'll have to be up to him whether or not he decides to get involved. Like you said, he already has the support of his father if he needs it. For that matter, I don't think Watari would want to take too many chances. Before I left the Japan Branch, a lot of them were wondering about what Beyond said, too. Even on the off-chance it was just something said in the heat of the moment, he had a reason for saying it."_

"'_Nothing happens for no reason'," Naomi said, broadly paraphrasing an unwritten rule most FBI agents lived by._

"…_It'll be fine, okay? You've always followed your instinct and came out alive. Just do what you have to. Then when all's said and done, we'll have our lives back."_

* * *

_We'll have our lives back…_

That's what Raye said to her before the FBI agents escorted them out of the apartment, before they reached MacArthur Park.

Her throat ached, trying not to let any more hysterical sobs escape and on the verge of failing—for the second time; her nostrils also ached from so many heaving breaths. Already feeling more alone than she ever had in her twenty-eight-year life, the deepening twilight falling over western Los Angeles and the seemingly long walk leading from Good Samaritan's main building to the multilevel car park across the street, accompanied by people with faces as solemn as hers, only served to lower her mood.

Why was she even going with them? What had she been doing this for?

It was as if she'd been running through a dark tunnel for four—almost five—years, following the light of marriage and a possible eventual return to her career, dodging every hidden danger the world could throw at her.

And now, at a mere five yards before reaching the exit, someone had rolled a boulder in front of it.

The twilight turned much darker as the small envoy entered the car park: Naomi, Near, and Loud. Halle left just seconds before, wanting to be one of the first to meet back up with Carter and learn every update on the MacArthur Park situation. She hadn't exactly sped off either, however; most of the mafia members who'd ambushed Naomi and Raye had either been killed or taken into custody, but everyone was more than aware that the numbers barely added up to even a fraction of the mafia presence in L.A., and if they already knew they had failed in taking out Naomi, they'd almost certainly try to finish the job.

His sable eyes scouring the maze of lots for the sedan he and Near arrived in, Loud kept his cell phone glued to his ear.

"You're still circling the block? Okay. We're coming out in about a minute."

Loud hung up the phone just in time to hear another shuddering breath. Looking over his shoulder, he saw Naomi shake her head, head down, a hand flying up to her mouth to prevent any more outbursts.

Feeling awkward, he quickly turned back around, unsure of what to say or do other than to stay focused on his surroundings. Halle seemed a lot better at trying to calm Naomi down. Maybe it was that female connection.

He was also unsure of Near's motivations. They may have been in a precarious situation, and whatever worried the successor now, he seemed to need Misora's help right away, but was now the right time?

No. She already showed her resolve. She'd agreed to come with them.

From a CIA operative's point of view, it was nothing short of an admirable bravery.

He stopped, finding the car close to the corner of the lot, the closest car two spaces away. He held up his hands, a subtle motion for Near and Naomi to hang back as he inspected the surroundings; with darkening shadows all around them, the threat was that much more real.

Keeping his hands close to his hips, Loud stepped up to the driver's side door (the side facing away from his two charges) and ducked to check the car's undercarriage.

Lifting her head, Naomi barely caught the back passenger door bursting open, but she did hear Loud's grunt as a muffled boom indicated a blunt object whacking him over the head, then another thump as his body hit the pavement.

Instantly forgetting all her grief, memories of her most challenging mission during her stint in the FBI flooded every synapse of her mind as she immediately pushed Near behind her, shielded him with her torso, and circled around the car in a defensive crouch. She didn't make the switch consciously, but somewhere in her subconscious, she instantly decided that it wouldn't end here.

She'd be damned if it ended in this parking lot, less than a quarter of a mile away from her dead fiancé.

But as fearless as she felt two seconds ago, Naomi froze as she spotted the opponent's face.

Loud's body lay crumpled near the car's tires, a makeshift blackjack lying next to his head.

The more pressing issue, however, was the handgun pointed at her head.

And the disfigured face behind it.

"Beyond."

The former successor smirked, but kept the handgun raised.

"You know, I'm quite torn. Letting you join your husband in death would be the perfect poetic justice, not to mention this is the exact same gun I stole from him that night at Tsukiji…but I'm not like that stubborn bull, and you'd be doing Penber and everyone else a great disservice by dying. If you don't want anyone else to suffer the same fate, we need to finish what we started."

He waved his gun in a different direction.

"We'll be leaving in a different car, if you don't mind."

* * *

Three minutes had passed.

Halle rounded the corner, going back up Witmer Street for…well, she lost count now, but that didn't matter.

She slowed down as much as she could, watching carefully for Loud's car. It still hadn't left the multilevel garage, though a number of other cars did.

"…Not right now. Of all times, not right now…"

Feeling her stomach sink, Halle pulled into the lot in front of the car park…

* * *

"I made a new friend."

Aiber perked up, staring intently at the redheaded woman sitting across the table, but at the same time trying not to look _too _interested. The woman displayed her own impressive acting skills, her voice indicating a depressed woman only now beginning to come out of her self-imposed shell, as if a friend would make no difference in her life. A couple of nurses patrolled the designated visiting area, while a couple of others stood close to the door. As if that didn't make the Broadmoor staff feel at ease, the obligatory surveillance cameras were stationed around corners of the ceiling.

Wedy was right. Security _was _much tighter inside.

And they only had a little more than four days to figure out how to surpass it all.

They already made an effort to think ahead; Wedy's wig doubled as a hiding place for a few concealable tools constructed of material that wouldn't set off the metal detector at the front entrance, including a cheap communications device she bought at a store in London and fiddled around with just before they began the operation. Meanwhile, Aiber had been staying in Crowthorne, staking out the mental hospital in his car every three hours, on the alert and prepared to pick up L and Wedy and speed out of Crowthorne as fast as possible. At a determined midpoint, they already had a second car waiting, and once they left the first decoy car behind, they'd finally be on their way to London—and if needed, a lot farther than that.

Already having militaristic planning and cunning on their side, as both got a better look at the layout of Broadmoor Hospital, they'd begun to feel as if they'd underestimated the situation. The first building one passed through in order to enter the asylum's inner compound didn't have all that much—at the very least, nothing beyond the duo's expertise. The first floor of Oxford Hall didn't put up much resistance, either, if Wedy knew how to surpass all of the security gates. The real problem would be busting out of Oxford Hall's second floor.

Fortunately, it seemed fate was on their side.

"Really? What's his name?" Aiber prompted, trying his best to sound like a concerned husband with a British accent.

"Eraldo Coil, I think it was."

Aiber raised a brow. That cinched it. No one else would have been admitted under that name.

"He lives in the ward just next to mine. I can only talk to him through the bars, though. He's a little strange, but he's nice."

"See? So it's not all bad here."

"I guess…"

Her eyes darting around nervously, Wedy lowered her voice to a whisper.

"When can I come back home?" she pleaded.

"We'll see. The doctors and I just want to make sure you're all right."

Wedy nodded slowly, looking every bit the part of a despondent wife…probably too much so.

"I hope so. It's not all that great here, either."

She glared at Aiber with as much seriousness as she could conjure.

"I haven't even talked to Eraldo since the day I met him. They transferred him to Luton Ward last night because he wouldn't take his medicine again. Now they have him under twenty-four hour observation. I heard him yelling and trying to fight them off from my room."

As Wedy's face crumpled, Aiber cringed. Maybe there was something to be said for pessimism, after all.

Luton Ward was the exact same ward that marked the entrance into the asylum, and being one of the biggest buildings in the complex, it provided most of the emergency medical facilities for Broadmoor's patients. It'd be no problem for Wedy to make her move and break out of Oxford on her own, and if L was now in Luton, all they'd have to do was go right out the front door without having to scale the imposing security wall wrapped around most of the complex.

But this also meant that whatever L had been put in here for would soon come to fruition.

And in a place like this, the best way to dispose of anyone would be a drug overdose.

"It'll only be a little while longer," Aiber reassured, both coming to the subconscious realization that there wasn't much left to discuss. The decision of what to do from here was mainly up to Wedy, and as he slowly rose from his chair, he waited for what she would say.

An orderly stepped up to the table, ready to escort Aiber back to Luton Ward…

He took two steps away…

"Hey, Faustino…"

He turned around. She still avoided eye contact, but the tiniest hint of a smirk played around her lips.

"…don't forget to feed Mary and Ellie tonight, okay? Give them some sunflower seeds for a treat; they like that."

Aiber nodded, turning his back to leave the room.

He wouldn't forget the birds.

* * *

"…Right. If we find no one else in that time period, we may have to look at Linda as another potential successor…right. I'll notify you if there's any change in either situation. My plane's arriving in about ten minutes…yes. Goodbye."

Watari hung up his cell phone and redirected his attention to his open laptop, leaving Roger once again to do what he did best: oversee everything else Watari couldn't give his complete attention to. Hopefully, all would be over once the SIS-L Los Angeles Branch caught Beyond.

As for the mafia…

His phone rang again.

"Hello?"

"_Watari, this is an emergency. Are you en route to Los Angeles right now?_"

His salt-colored brows furrowed instantly.

"I'm at Heathrow Airport as we speak. What's wrong?"

"_It's Beyond Birthday. He got the drop on us at Good Samaritan Hospital…he attacked Agent Loud in the car park and kidnapped Misora and Near!_"

(End Chapter 32)


	33. Id, Ego, and Superego

Title: Silent Consonant

By: Dr. Kim-chan

Author's Note: Happy Halloween! Okay, so it's the day after, but it's still All Souls' Day, and pretty darn close, so I believe I kept my promise.

Anyway…I wanted the (unusually long) beginning of this chapter to reflect some psychological horror in honor of the holiday, so hang on to your pants. (Honestly, I think I scared the crap out of myself this time.) Also, as we all know, there's more to October 31st than trick-or-treating! I'd like to take the time to wish our favorite Scorpio a happy birthday! He's now five years past his expiration date! (L fans start to sob) Oh, I didn't mean it that way!

And candy to those who can figure out the ending of the chapter. It's a doozy.

Note: In the first section of this chapter, everything in italics is happening mentally to reflect the switches from reality to delusion.

* * *

_Mysterious people file in and out of a large house, like clouds passing over the ground._

_A fedora speaks to him in a slow, gravelly tone. He doesn't suspect that it means him no harm. Why would it? It'll take him away from this house of shadows, won't it?_

_He blinks, and braces himself; he's suddenly on a train. He's never been on a train before. Miles of land blur together, and at some point it becomes sea._

_Sea returns to land. Green. He's never seen so much grass before. Later he'll learn that this is mainly moorland, a terrain typical in England._

_There's a gate. Compared to his small height, it's tall, the black bars obscuring the view of…well, it _looks _like a church. Again, he'll soon learn that it used to be, but the land and building were extensively renovated in order to serve its current purpose._

_It's so gray today…so cloudy, yet so bright…everything's melding together._

_He can barely read the brass plaque next to the gate._

_W…A…M…M…_

"…benzodiazepine...correct dosage…consciousness…no, not too soon. Quillish would…Tomorrow night, I'll have to…"

L's eyes fluttered, but barely. Voices flew in and out of his ears. The brightness that had interrupted his fleeting visions was just as suddenly extinguished by a sharp 'click' sound. Retreating footsteps and a door closing told him he was being left alone again.

What happened? Where was he?

_Broadmoor Hospital. A mental asylum. Watari took me here. They forced me to take benzodia…benzo…_

Watari.

Why'd that name scare him now? It didn't before.

Acting on an impulse, L forced his mind to speak the name again, but somewhere amid the complexity of synapses, the message was sent to the wrong organ, and he spoke it aloud instead.

"Watari…"

Another sharp pain in his chest, just like the first time.

_Henh henh henh…_

L's eyes snapped open, his black pupils dilating.

_That was…just the air vents_, his logic stammered, springing out of wherever it'd been hiding all this time.

_Why'd you want to come here?_, a child's voice echoes out.

"I didn't really have a choice in the matter. Watari felt it best if he brought me here," L answers, not knowing that the conversation is from another time, and not about Broadmoor. Even now, what he's saying sounds strangely familiar.

_So fate brought you here_, the child's voice says, sounding disappointed.

"I don't know if I'd go so far as to call it fate. Whether I was specifically chosen to be one of the world's premier detectives or not is mainly irrelevant. Topics of spirituality haven't been much of a concern for me, I'm afraid. An interesting subject, but…it doesn't serve me in my profession."

_Silence. Years pass as the color slowly drains from L's memory. Maybe this particular scene doesn't need it. It _is_ a funeral, after all._

_A._

_You told me we had free will, that they could choose to die_, the child's voice returns, angrier than before. With every word the child ages, changing tone and inflection. _I kept looking at A's numbers, hoping every day they'd change, but they didn't. I tried to tell you—this orphanage doesn't let you change your fate. I can't see my own numbers, but I know I'll die next if things go on this way._

_And so will you._

The last sentence reflected the current age of the young boy who'd introduced himself as Beyond Birthday many years ago, his face scarred, but still very much alive.

_Did you really think people had free will, or were you just evading my question? Was that just a comfortable delusion you wrapped yourself in? It must have seemed so hard, investigating so many murders. Something so tragic happening at random, or because someone else held them by puppet strings. It must've seemed so unfair. And you were the world's greatest detective. You had power. You changed the course of the world with your own two hands. Certainly someone so important couldn't be snuffed out by divine whim. So you clung to your convictions._

"I…"

_Shut up. Meanwhile, your legacy has to be upheld by any means necessary, so an entire machine was constructed, picking and choosing those whose life has no meaning anymore, those smart enough to pick up the rules but naïve enough not to question them. You didn't really mean any harm. What would they have done otherwise? At the very least, they're being given a choice. But they weren't, were they? A knew. It was either live up to your expectations, or be shunned again._

"Shunned…"

"_You are hereby stripped of your title as 'L' and your responsibilities as detective."_

_Henh henh henh…and the puppet master becomes the stupid little puppet._

A thunderbolt shoots through his head, stars bursting in L's eyes from the pain. He screams, but he can't believe it's his own voice. His body begins to tremble, and then his bones and muscles sink down into the bed, getting heavier. His bloodstream feels confused; his heart wants to race from fear, but the medication forces it to slow its pumping. His eyes can't take it anymore, and he closes them.

And suddenly L wants to open them again, more than anything.

_The graveyard in Winchester returns—for the very first time, in vivid color._

_But it's not A's grave._

_It's not so nice anymore when it's _you_, is it?_, Beyond's voice taunts him.

_A headstone bears his name chiseled in stone. The grave's open, a new hole._

_But there's no casket. Just L's broken body, lying askew in the dirt._

_A heinous mixture of blood, mud, and strawberry jam stains his face, his hair, his clothes, his hands._

_Beyond stands above him, at the edge of the freshly dug hole, pouring dirt in._

_I really shouldn't be doing this, but this isn't the first time Watari's made someone else do his dirty work_, Beyond says.

_The hole begins to fill up…it gets harder to breathe…_

L's eyes tear up.

"No…I don't want to die…"

"…We don't want you to die, either. You still owe us…"

* * *

"…_while there hasn't been any word on whether or not the detective L has been found, events have taken one dark turn after another. If our listeners remember, SIS-L's Japan Branch handled the kidnapping of Light Yagami and Naomi Misora, both of whom were returned safely. Less than twelve hours ago, we also reported a dangerous shootout in Los Angeles, California involving two key suspects in the case, one of them having died tragically less than an hour after he was taken to a local hospital._

"_Now, we've just received word that the remaining witness, former FBI agent Naomi Misora, has been kidnapped again, presumably by the same perpetrator who kidnapped her the first time. Speculation persists that this unidentified perpetrator is also behind the MacArthur Park shootout, but nothing has been confirmed as of yet…"_

_What the hell is he doing?_

Light smashed the button on the portable TV sitting atop his desk, then turned back to his computer, glaring at the screen as if this whole affair was its fault.

Up until the moment Light was instructed to send the e-mails to "the two and the three", everything had been going according to plan—not his, necessarily, but Beyond's. At the very least, his wish to uncover more information on L's disappearance had come to fruition.

Now he almost wished he'd never overheard that conversation in cram school.

It'd been suspicious enough when Beyond left Japan earlier than expected, but to cross international lines just to pull the exact same stunt he did here—right after a highly televised attempted assassination, no less (which, unfortunately, hadn't been a complete failure)—was nothing short of audacious.

Then again, had it really been Beyond behind Raye Penber's death?

Light got up from his desk chair and walked over to the window. The distant winter sun touched down on the sprawling outskirts of the city, giving what little warmth it could. In a few minutes he'd be heading out to school for the first time in days, and as much as he'd wanted to escape his mother's overprotective despotism for even a moment, he wasn't looking forward to it. He'd be a celebrity upon his return…an untouchable hero unmatched in grades or bravery, or a victim for his female admirers to pity.

Before he left, though, he wanted to take advantage of the brief moment of predawn calm to think things over.

Repeating the same offense didn't seem like Beyond's style. Having read the files on the Los Angeles BB Murder Cases, and looking back on his actions a few weeks ago, Light already decided that Beyond liked it best when he took the most unexpected road. He wasn't a show-off by any means, but repeating the same trick just didn't seem like something he'd do.

Then again, neither did conspiracy and assassination.

Still having his connections to the SIS-L Japan Branch, Light already knew from official records that the mafia had been involved. What was most interesting was that one of the criminals taken into custody confessed that L—or someone connected to L—had ordered the hit. But that didn't make sense. Sure, Beyond had gotten angry at Tsukiji, but only at L, and only because L had apparently made the decision to do the very thing Beyond had been trying so hard to prevent him from doing…

"'You're committing suicide if you go back to Watari'," Light whispered.

Watari…

Light suddenly stiffened.

That elderly man. The one who'd smiled so gently and spoke such perfect Japanese.

He couldn't have.

But…

Along with the details of the MacArthur Park shooting, Light also knew the SIS-L's official report on the conclusion of their primary objective. L had been found, and Watari had returned him to England for psychiatric evaluation.

Immediately that stank to high heaven, and for more than one reason. If L had been found, then, why didn't anyone else know about it? There may have been some questions that couldn't have easily been answered, but Watari would have gotten away with a simple declaration: _L has been found._

Unless that wasn't what he wanted to say.

And Misora. Assuming her story was credible (and Light had no reason _not _to believe her), L was the subject of an extensive social experiment, and for some reason, Watari suddenly had a change of heart about the results. That would make it all the more reason to keep this all a secret.

So the SIS-L wasn't being told the whole truth.

And Naomi and Raye…had they become liabilities?

Then L being taken to England was…

_Beep._

Light's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a new e-mail. Returning to his chair, he clicked and typed until he reached his inbox.

Well, this was the first piece of good news he'd heard this week.

Wedy and Aiber had succeeded in rescuing L.

However, L was apparently suffering from some terrible side effects due to medicine. Temazepam.

Taking a few more breaths, Light rested his chin on his desk. Still, he had to think about why this all happened, and where this was all going.

If it was true—if Watari was truly the one who orchestrated the death of Raye Penber and the attempted killing of Naomi Misora—it'd be all too easy for him to pin it on Beyond. Whether he'd intended to have Beyond take the fall for L's death, too, Light didn't know.

But in that case, Beyond hadn't strayed from his MO at all. Intelligent as he was, Beyond probably knew he'd take the fall for MacArthur Park, and it'd been all too convenient that he left for Los Angeles in such a short time. The normal reaction would be to deny this and rally against such rampant sleaze, but nothing about Beyond was normal. He'd happily take the fall, and the kidnapping was probably a tactic meant to say, "You didn't expect me to walk so easily into your trap, did you?", and Watari would have no choice but to dig himself a deeper hole.

But there was still one inherent flaw in this.

L's successors.

Where did they fit into this whole scheme?

* * *

Los Angeles was well into the night, but it was far from asleep.

With more than half its citizens terrified or deeply affected by the MacArthur Park shooting, many more starting to wonder about the true nature of the SIS-L's activities, the non-SIS-L FBI members entertaining the notion of mafia-related intrigue, Raye Penber and a couple of SIS-L members dead, Loud in the hospital with a concussion, and Misora and Near kidnapped by Beyond Birthday, no one could be allowed any rest.

It wasn't getting any easier, either.

"Well, that was a waste of time."

Matt pushed back his office chair a few inches and sunk deeper into his slouching position, eyes bleary from staring into a computer monitor. Along with Mello and Bullook, they'd been scouring footage taken from the surveillance cameras of Good Samaritan Hospital's car park, hoping one of them had captured anything interesting, but to no avail.

"How can someone avoid so many cameras so well without disabling them?" Bullook muttered to herself bitterly.

Mello deigned not to respond, instead lost in his own thoughts. As second, with L who-knew-where and L's first successor in line now in mortal peril, he had to assert himself.

And the first thing that popped to mind was something he'd already decided on long ago: Beyond Birthday couldn't have conspired with the mafia to take out Naomi Misora, not even on the grounds that he did it precisely because no one expected him to do it.

So if he didn't do it, then what did he have to gain by kidnapping Misora and Near? That only made him look guilty. But of course, he probably already knew that.

…Which also meant he knew who _really _ordered the hit on Misora and Penber.

Mello sat up, and in the same moment Carter burst through the door.

"Check the inbox."

A little quicker on the uptake, Matt twirled around, his fingers nearly floating over the keyboard. As Carter had hinted, a new e-mail sat on top of the list.

_Click._

_(1413 + 23) / 12_

_13 + 13 – 14_

_1413 + 14 + 13_

_(13 + 1225) x 12_

_23 – 12. Add 13, 13, and 14_

_(13 + 12 + 1) – 23_

_All this equals the truth._

(End Chapter 33)


	34. The End of All You'll Know

Title: Silent Consonant

By: Dr. Kim-chan

Author's Note: Black Friday…I'd rather call it "Recover-from-a-Crapload-of-Food" Day.

Anyway, birthdays in November! We had the chain-smoking Ukita (9th) and our favorite thief Wedy (2nd), both of whom still have a role to play in this story. Whee!

And now for what you've all been waiting for (aside from an update): the answers to last chapter's math quiz (of course this means a ridiculously large Author's Note, but you guys deserve _something._) Megacookies to those who actually took the time to try solving this, and special cookies to Next, who got half the equations right on some level or another!

1. **(1413 + 23)/12 **= "1413" refers to Naomi (NM), 23 is "W" (Watari), and 12 is L. Naomi and Watari are at odds over the issue of L. You can also take 14 and 13 separately, which in that case means Near (N) and Mello/Matt (M), again with the same implications.

2. **13 + 13 – 14 **= Mello (13) and Matt (13), for the time being, are cut off from Near (14). In addition (pun intended), 13 and 13 equals 26 (the alphabet) but subtract 14 and you get 12, so the kidnapping (i.e., "subtraction") of Near may, in the long run, finally reveal the truth about L.

3. **1413 + 14 + 13 **= Naomi, Near, and Beyond are together for the moment. At first it didn't have any other meaning, but then I noticed that 1413 is repeated in a different way. This can be taken to mean three things: Raye's death has "broken up" Naomi, Naomi will need the added support of his successors right now, or it's a warning for L's successors to stick together or be separated—permanently.

4. **(13 + 1225) x 12 **= Everyone seemed to have trouble with this one! 25 is "Y", so 1225 is "LY"—Light Yagami. He and Beyond joined forces to save L. Also, if you add 13 and 1225, you get 1238. 1 = A (Aiber), 23 = W (Wedy), and 8 = H, which is meaningless in that sense. But "8" also looks like a loop, so one can say that Aiber and Wedy were also "in the loop" about this whole affair.

5. **23 – 12. Add 13, 13, and 14 **= Now believing himself to be rid of all his previous "failures", Watari hopes to start fresh with L's successors. Subtract 12 from 23 and you get 11, which is NOT "K", the eleventh letter in the alphabet, but rather "A" twice—a warning that the past may repeat itself.

6. **(13 + 12 + 1) – 23 **= 13 here means B again, and 1 is A. The addition doesn't mean camaraderie so much as it represents a complete system. However, Watari destroyed that, and now he wants to begin anew—not with zero, but with three (L's successors).

But can those who most need to solve these questions figure it out? Onto the story!

* * *

"I guess disabling the alarm system worked out better for us than I thought it would."

After a little less than a day of holing up in the International Hotel, the first reports of the Broadmoor Hospital break-out began surfacing on most—if not all—of England's news channels. However, with no photographs of the missing patients and only false names and vague descriptions to go on, the situation was made all the worse by two facts: patients didn't typically escape from the well-equipped fortress (this recent success counted as only the third or fourth in the asylum's hundred-year history), and the alarm system that could usually be relied on had failed to make a sound hours after the incident occurred. As a result, everyone who was in a position to ask questions seemed less interested about where the escapees were and more critical of the competency of Broadmoor's staff and security.

And as far as Wedy and Aiber were concerned, with all this bickering, it would make their escape from England much easier.

Except for one thing—the very reason they infiltrated Broadmoor in the first place.

Though Wedy could verify that L was given temazepam, it didn't seem to be a fatal dose. However, as Aiber unwittingly brought to revelation by cracking one of his cynical jokes, from the moment L entered Broadmoor he had to give up his huge quantities of sugar, cold turkey at that, most likely resulting in terrible (to put it mildly) caffeine withdrawal symptoms.

Fortunately—and strangely—after they sent the e-mail reporting their tentative success (even though they were instructed to keep the e-mail blank, Aiber couldn't help but include L's status), they received a response suggesting various treatments, including keeping L calm to steady his blood pressure and giving him generous amounts of water and activated charcoal (the latter of which, much to Aiber's chagrin, had required scouring a third of the chemists in London). And as for actually giving it to the half-crazed detective, now camped out in what used to be Aiber's bed, that'd been a whole other battle.

The hours had passed by, and slowly but surely, the random outbursts and whimpers trickled down to an uneasy silence, interspersed by Aiber mopping up buckets of cold sweat and making sure L didn't throw up on the expensive-looking carpeting. Despite the enormous trouble they'd gone through, the once-antagonistic thief and con man finally realized that it wouldn't do for their half-baked death wishes upon L to actually come true.

Done hearing about Londoners' newfound distaste for Broadmoor, Wedy lowered the volume and refocused her attention onto her laptop.

"We got more time to figure out our next move, then," Aiber muttered. "Not to mention we're waiting for His Majesty to get better and wake up."

"Mmmrrr…"

Both suddenly switched their heads around. A lanky, dark-haired man (still in the baggy jumpsuit issued to him over two days ago by a heavyset nurse) leaned in the threshold separating the bedroom from the spacious sitting area, rubbing the side of his head with one hand and looking extremely grumpy, but otherwise fine.

"And here he is now."

Murmuring again, L walked the first few feet toward the kitchenette with a straight back, and then, as if he regained his memory halfway, reverted back to his signature crouch and made it to the coffeepot with only one minor stumble. Glancing behind him, he did a double take when he realized that the redhead he'd met in the mental hospital was now a blonde.

"…Oh. So that was you."

Wedy looked up, puzzled at first, but then remembered that L probably still wasn't with the program yet.

"You really think you should be drinking coffee?"

"I think…I'd be worse off if I deprived myself any longer. I don't remember too much about what happened last night; I imagine I suffered a lot of horrible symptoms…but seeing as how I'm still alive, I'm led to believe it was more caffeine withdrawal than the medicine."

Putting down the steaming pot, L found the sugar bowl and began adding his customary obscene number of lumps.

"I guess whoever orchestrated my rescue also counted on the possibility that Watari would wait a while first," he muttered.

Completely oblivious to the shocked faces on his cohorts' faces and the entirely new powder keg he just planted, L picked up a spoon and began stirring his coffee.

"Oh, before I forget, I'll need a new pair of jeans, a long-sleeved white shirt with an open-wide collar, and a pair of white boxers, and I'd strongly prefer that the first two items to be one size bigger than my standard measurements. Probably should buy multiples, too, just in case. Fortunately they didn't take my shoes."

With that, he grimaced at the scratchy ensemble that Wedy immediately threw away after their return to London, but clothes suddenly became the least of anyone's worries. Still unsure of what he'd just heard, Aiber stood up and stormed into the kitchenette.

"Hold on! So you didn't have anyone send the e-mails to us?!"

"And 'wait a while' before what?"

L stayed silent, preferring to clamber over to the only other free plush seat in the sitting area and settle into his unique crouch, but with that single gesture came a profound change in attitude.

"Before you helped me escape, I'd been giving a lot of thought about what I should do after this. Luckily I was able to settle on a decision before I temporarily lost my lucidity, but it'll require some great changes, most of them on my behalf. One thing I decided to do was to include you in my plans provided I ever saw you again, which also means I have an obligation to tell you about the events that led up to this, and I suppose you have even more questions to ask now that you've been directly involved."

"You're damn right you're obligated," Wedy spat out. "The last time we were here, you practically told us never to return to London or speak to you again, and now…here we are!"

L's eyes suddenly narrowed, cutting off Wedy's rant right at the exclamation point. On the television, the reporters changed their focus from local matters to international matters, and of course the first story to be discussed was the shootout/kidnapping in Los Angeles.

"Turn it up," L said, pointing frantically to Aiber.

"_...authorities still unclear about the kidnapper's identity…_"

"…_deaths…_"

Raye Penber.

If Wedy hadn't been sitting so close to him, she wouldn't have believed that L made what sounded like a low growl.

"…Maybe this would be a good place to start."

Rearranging himself in his chair, L continued stirring his coffee.

"To answer the question you asked a moment ago, Aiber, I didn't know I'd be saved so quickly, so I couldn't have been the one to plan this. Someone else sent those e-mails, and before I heard this report I thought it was my rival—Beyond Birthday's his name. No one else would have gotten access to information concerning mine and Watari's movements so fast...but now I'm starting to think it couldn't have been him. When did you two receive your e-mails?"

"About a week ago, up to the day before I checked into Broadmoor," Wedy muttered.

"Right. If Beyond's also the one behind what's going on in Los Angeles right now—a part of it, anyway—then if you simply follow and compare the parallel timelines, if you include his travel from Japan, which is where he was the last time we encountered each other, then he couldn't have taken on the task of sending the e-mails himself, no matter how skilled of a multitasker he is. He probably got someone to do it for him while he set up this rest of this farce. He always _was_ one to strategize so far in advance with such short-sightedness…"

"Well, I'm confused," Aiber said, throwing his hands up. "_We_ thought you were being set up by this Beyond guy at first, but I guess he wouldn't have wanted us to save you if he really wanted you dead. And he said something that struck me as weird, too. That you couldn't 'trust in your inner circle'."

"Don't underestimate him; he could have just not wanted to be beaten in getting to me first, but you're right either way. He doesn't want me to die just yet. And it's true, unfortunately; I no longer have as many people I can rely on…but that was what I'd been thinking about at Broadmoor. It seems all I can do now is to go on with my next step."

"Next step?"

"…Making a new inner circle."

Both Wedy and Aiber raised a skeptical brow. He said it with hesitancy, but not out of fear. It was the kind of reluctant pause that preceded an ultimate truth that absolutely had to be said, no matter how difficult it would be to say it.

L set down his coffee cup with a clatter.

"I should go to Los Angeles right away, since I'll need to take care of the situation there before my plan can be pulled off without any sort of immediate mishap, and that's probably where Beyond intended for me to go after the escape. But as helpful as he's been, he always puts his personal interests first, and now that I'm back in my right mind, I'll finally take him up on his advice and take control of my own destiny. Still, there's Misora to consider…and Watari…"

A short pause, and then he looked up.

"I'm sorry, but we'll have to split up again for the time being, but only for a short time. Aiber, while you're out buying my new clothes, I'd also like you to pick up a piece of standard-sized luggage, a cell phone, a multimedia laptop, some blank CDs, and if you can, a voice modifier. Wedy, I want you to book two flights from two different airports—one for you to Los Angeles, and one for me and Aiber to Tokyo."

* * *

"…_We apologize for the delay. Adverse weather conditions will delay the flight's take-off for about thirty minutes…_"

Watari reclined back into his seat, staring out at the runways of JFK Airport. Not too long ago he'd arrived here from London, the first and longest part of his journey over. After the snow let up around New York State, he'd be on his way to Los Angeles, where he'd finally have the chance to tie up the last loose end in his ongoing project.

Beyond was turning out to be much more of a problem than he thought he would, but he couldn't deny the ingenuity of Beyond's maneuver—don't do the obvious, but rather the unexpected. Though Watari had always strived to analyze each part of the sum and predict how the situation would occur based on the current data, that still didn't prevent anomalies from popping up every now and then.

Probably the biggest problem of all was that, if Beyond knew as much as Watari thought he did, then having both Naomi Misora and Near in such close proximity to himself would probably result in the exposure of certain secrets.

The same secrets L went searching for when he left France all those months ago. The same secrets that threatened the integrity of the elite project. In the worst-case scenario, if he still had time on this earth, he'd have to start the project all over.

Had this all truly begun with the Wara Ningyo Murders…or with A's suicide?

His phone rang.

The elderly man's eyes betrayed the smallest twitch, but he mentally reprimanded himself for thinking so negatively so prematurely. Hopefully, this would be Carter or Bullook giving an update on the kidnapping situation. After Bullook's latest call reporting that they had nothing to identify the vehicle in which Beyond left, Watari made an executive decision and gave the SIS-L permission to access and disseminate some sensitive information, including a picture of Beyond Birthday post-self-immolation attempt.

"Watari."

"_Hello, sir._"

Roger.

"_If I may ask, where are you at this very moment?_"

"On a plane at JFK Airport. We're due to take off any moment, but we're having a weather delay right now. Why? Is there something that's come up?"

"…_A few hours after your departure, there was a national news report in England about two patients escaping from Broadmoor Hospital._"

Watari's eyes flew up, and in a rare gesture, he briefly lowered the receiver from his ear and bared a closed-eye grimace to the backrest of the seat in front of him.

"…_Sir?_"

"What did the report say?"

"…_That's the peculiar thing. A notice about the escape would have been issued out quicker, but…there's an extensive alarm system set up around Crowthorne and the surrounding villages that would usually sound out shortly after a patient's escape, but the entire system was disabled, delaying any action they could have otherwise taken. They believe this was very carefully planned out, probably before the patients were even admitted._"

"Hmm…Roger, you said _two _patients escaped, correct?"

"_Yes, sir...ah, you believe the second person may have been an accomplice._"

"More than likely…Roger, I'm about to give you two names. Contact the local authorities in my name and tell them to start their investigation from those starting points."

"_Yes, sir. And the names?_"

"Mary Kenwood and Thierry Morrello."

* * *

Mello vigorously wiped a few numbers off the large dry-erase board sitting at the end of the room.

"1413…well, if 13's supposed to be 'B', then it'd be 'NB', but that doesn't make sense. All these 13s can't be 'B'!"

Despite his friend's rising fury, Matt kept pounding away at his handheld console, but he was equally absorbed in deciphering Beyond's latest set of clues. Mello, with all his initiative, already knew that it'd be pointless to literally solve the math equations, especially after some of the answers turned out to be strange decimals and astronomically high numbers. According to past evidence, Beyond often identified 13 with B, and 12 with L, but new numbers and repeat numbers were making it increasingly difficult—a problem already exacerbated by one important deviation.

Beyond didn't just send these clues to the terminals in their private office. He distributed them across every computer in the FBI building, even to the computers of those who didn't belong in the SIS-L.

The reason why, however, wasn't nearly as important now as searching for the answers they needed to find.

And now Matt was beginning to wonder if the math symbols actually _did_ mean anything.

"…Okay, what about this, Mel? What if 13 had more meanings?"

Mello whipped around, not so much grateful for the breakthrough as he was angry at the interruption in his thought processes. Unperturbed, Matt paused the game, stood up, walked over to the dry-erase board, picked up a red marker, and cleared out a section of unintelligible scribbles in the corner.

"Look."

Uncapping the marker, Matt wrote down the following:

* * *

_A = 1_

_B = 2_

_ C = 3_

_D = 4_

_ E = 5_

_ F = 6_

_ G = 7_

_ H = 8_

_ I = 9_

_J = 10_

_K = 11_

_ L = 12_

_M = 13_

_ N = 14_

_ O = 15_

_ P = 16_

_ Q = 17_

_ R = 18_

_ S = 19_

_T = 20_

_U = 21 _

_V = 22_

_ W = 23_

_X = 24 _

_Y = 25_

_Z = 26_

* * *

The second Matt's marker lifted from the dry-erase board, Mello's eyes sparked with comprehension. Snatching back up his black marker, Mello wrote underneath:

* * *

_NM + W / L_

_B (or M) + B (or M) – N_

_NM + N + B (or N)_

_(B (or M) + LY) x L_

_W – L. Add M (or B), M (or B), and N_

_(M (or B) + L + A) – W_

_

* * *

_

"Okay, so 1413 would be 'NM"—Naomi Misora. But what about all the other ones?" Mello seethed. "When is it M and when is it B? And who's LY?"

"It'll probably be easier after we put a couple of them in context," Matt muttered, already having returned to his chair and video game. "If the equation symbols are supposed to be metaphorical, then they're basically sentences, really. And all the letters are names."

"…'Naomi and Watari, divided by L'," Mello paraphrased the first equation.

His face scrunched up.

_Divided by L…_

* * *

"…Beyond."

His deep crimson-black stare diverted from the small window in the hotel room to the white-haired young man sitting at the foot of the bed.

"Can I take our kidnapping to mean that you _weren't_ the one who organized the hit on Misora and Penber?"

Leaning against the wall at the far end of the room, Naomi's dour expression suddenly brightened into one of shock as Beyond's mouth warped into something resembling the crooked grin of a mischievous child.

"What makes you think I didn't?" he retorted.

Near narrowed his ash-gray eyes and began twirling a stray forelock at the side of his head.

"You arrived in Los Angeles from Japan right around the time this occurred, then performed the kidnapping immediately after the shootout, and the events at the Tsukiji fish market would lead some to think that you had a reason to sever the ties between Misora and L. But that's just it: the events coincide too perfectly. And the fact that you were probably responsible for bringing L and Misora together again in the first place doesn't mesh with what you've probably been trying to accomplish, not to mention you've already had many opportunities to kill Misora already. Also, if the Wara Ningyo Murders were any indication, you wouldn't trust outsiders with the finer details of your plans, especially not mafia affiliates. Unless it's absolutely necessary, you prefer to execute them yourself, because pride would prevent you from doing otherwise. I even question whether you're capable of doing something so violent."

Misora blinked. If that didn't prove that Near was L's successor, nothing else could.

However, Beyond was of the same caliber, and in the end, whether he'd give Near a straight answer or not was entirely up to him.

"The only one who suffers from pride around here is that bull Watari and his lowly scorpion," Beyond scoffed.

"That's something else I'd like to ask you," Near said. "What did you mean by 'the bull will soon sting the scorpion'? Does it have to do with Watari taking L to England for psychological help? Do you or Misora know anything about it?"

Naomi twitched just before Near glanced over his shoulder at her. Beyond, however, caught the nervous tic, and broadened his grin.

"…Unfortunately, we're not at that point in the game yet, and even then, I'd prefer if L told you the answer himself. And if he _doesn't _tell you—"

Beyond brought his stare back to the window.

"—then I'll have _my _answer."

(End Chapter 34)

Author's After Note: I don't even know if it's worth mentioning, but I can't take full credit for the title of this chapter. I was inspired by a song from the third Ghost in the Shell soundtrack, which has the same title. I thought it'd work here. Cookies...no, _brownies_ to those who can tell me why.


	35. Wake Up

Title: Silent Consonant

By: Dr. Kim-chan

Author's Note: Merry (really late!) Christmas, Happy New Year, and birthday greetings to Mello (13th), Matsuda (14th), Misa (Christmas Day), and (sniff) the recently departed Raye Penber (today)! One reason the updates are taking so long is because…well, you could say "Silent Consonant" is reaching a season finale. I have an idea of what the next part has in store; it's just figuring out how to carry this first part to its conclusion.

And a personal note to Undercover92 (and anyone else with similar concerns): it's not so much Watari's plan in itself that's the issue. It's how far he could go to protect his ideals (personally, I don't know if he would, but it's food for thought). I _did_ have trouble trying not to make Watari too evil. If he had to be a villain, I thought, he'd be a cool scientist type, someone with the mindset that morality isn't an issue because you can't apply morals to a mechanized system. Therefore, the problems he's trying to eliminate are just broken parts in need of replacement. You also see that he hardly gets his own hands dirty. He's an administrative sort of man, aversive to straight-up violence, so he leaves the icky work to others.

That said, I _do_ think I tread dangerous waters by getting the mafia involved. That was for the sake of the plot; I needed some way for the situation in Los Angeles to heat up. As for L having pride, that's purely Beyond's opinion. He thinks that after all this, L still won't be willing to face the truth, but…nah, I won't spoil it. Let's just say L's full of surprises.

And one last bit of happy news. So the Beyond-related C2 Archive I was added to disappeared for some reason, but I've been added to yet another one: "Genius's Plot", moderated by chin12300. Thanks for the honor.

So Watari's got seven hours until he returns to Los Angeles, and L/Aiber and Wedy have about 16 hours until they get to Japan and L.A., respectively. What a difference a day can make…

(holds hands out to Mia Fontaine) Can I have my cookies now?

* * *

A thin stack of papers softly smacked the desk surface slightly to the left of Carter, snatching his attention away from the computer and distracting Mello and Matt from the clue-reckoning session they'd been holding for the past few hours. As the two boys turned around and Carter looked up, Bullook stood over the brawny FBI agent with a subtle expression of exhaustion—but also one of pride.

"What's this?"

"Something Near said a while ago wouldn't stop bothering me," Bullook answered, taking the closest available seat. "Right before the MacArthur Park fiasco, we learned that Beyond had somehow gotten back into the country, correct?"

Carter nodded.

"Near told me there was a possibility he didn't enter through LAX, so I asked someone to investigate all arrivals from Japan from the airports of the nearby major cities and check for any bookings or car rentals made under any of the aliases Beyond or L used in the past—though I'd almost forgot after that bastard showed up again and kidnapped Near and Misora…"

The sharpness in her voice wasn't so much an undercurrent of disgust for Beyond, but disappointment in herself for not being able to stop the situation sooner.

"Anyway, we got a couple of hits."

Their interest fully caught, Mello and Matt abandoned the dry-eraser board and walked over to the two agents just as Carter picked up the stack and began leafing through it.

"Rue Ryuuzaki…arrival from Kansai International…San Francisco International?" Carter grumbled. "This guy's tricky, I'll give him that. He didn't even leave from any of Tokyo's airports."

"He didn't drive straight to L.A. from San Francisco, either. Keep going."

"…San Diego?"

"Where he also rented a car under the same name he booked his flight. I told them to contact the rental company and give me the information on the car that was rented as soon as possible. After that, we can let the LAPD feel useful and put them on the lookout. If he didn't change cars, then we finally have a solid lead. Even if we don't find it, it's a start."

"At this point it's more than a start. Looks like you were the only one thinking clearly these past few hours."

Bullook shook her head, resting the side of her face on an upturned hand.

"Thank Near, not me…once we find him, that is."

An uncomfortable silence passed, after which Carter sighed.

"Speaking of flights, we got a call from Watari a couple of hours ago," he said. "He should be in L.A. in about five hours. Me and a few other SIS-L agents will pick him up from LAX."

"And the mafia?"

"We still have Snyder and Bay in custody, but they haven't been willing to talk about anything else, not that it does them any good—we already know they have connections to one of L.A.'s ringleaders, Rod Ross. And whoever ordered the hit, they most likely contacted him or another higher-up in the mafia."

Bullook frowned, not intending for it to be so obvious, but Carter caught it immediately.

"What?"

"…Something bothers me about that, too…"

"You don't buy into the theory that Beyond contacted the mafia, either."

Both agents' heads snapped around towards a disgruntled-looking Mello.

"Wait a minute. So none of you think Beyond ordered the hit?" Carter demanded.

"If he did, he did it because he wanted to get caught on purpose, or he wanted to distract us from something else. If he actually planned on accomplishing anything, then he's more of an idiot than the mafia members who fell for it," Mello retorted. "But since he put so much thought into getting around the SIS-L, I doubt that, too."

"Well, if Beyond didn't contact them, who did?"

Mello turned around and stalked back to the dry-erase board.

"I don't know," the blond scoffed. "But if my answers to Beyond's puzzle are correct, we might know someone who can fill in the blanks."

Crossing his arms, he glared at the letters "LY".

_Light Yagami…_

* * *

Naomi's head shot up.

The snarl of memories and nightmares that engulfed her mind rapidly unwound itself and melted away from the peripheries of her mind. The last set of memories to fade contained broken flashes of the moments and events from the past twenty-four hours, all composed of confusing sights and deafening sounds.

_Raye…_

A slight shock overtook her as she realized she'd dozed off, the experience made all the more disorienting by the fact that she wasn't in her apartment—a place, Naomi suddenly remembered, she hadn't stayed for any lengthy duration of time in over two weeks.

Not that she felt homesick. Wherever she was now, and however this crisis would resolve itself, in the end she'd have to go back there and confront every single item that had the slightest trace of her deceased fiancé.

Her senses still a little dull, Naomi propped herself up and looked around the room. Beyond was nowhere to be found, but a small noise was coming from the floor on the other side of the mattress. Not until she scooted over and peered over the edge did she remember that not only had Beyond taken her to an unknown motel on the outskirts of L.A., but she hadn't been the only one taken hostage.

Near sat on the carpet, placid and seemingly dispassionate about his current status as a hostage, playing around with a pair of dice he'd apparently been carrying around with him since before he met Naomi at Good Samaritan Hospital.

After rolling a six, the cloudy-haired teenager glanced up at the blank-faced woman.

"Good morning, Miss Misora."

Her awareness gradually returning, Naomi looked over at the digital clock on the nightstand. It was hardly seven o'clock in the morning, but it was enough to validate the "good morning" greeting.

"G'morning," Naomi grumbled, almost incoherently.

"Beyond left the room about two hours ago. I guess he trusts that we won't try to escape."

Near rolled the dice again. Four.

"I was hoping I'd have the opportunity to talk to you in private, and I suppose I still do, but I didn't anticipate the situation would work out this way," he continued.

"I didn't either," Naomi muttered, a tired sort of sarcasm in her voice.

"Since Beyond's no longer here to monitor our conversation, what I'd been meaning to ask you since yesterday is about your relationship with L—no, that's not it. I'm interested in what your opinion is on all the recent events surrounding the Special Investigations Section for L, seeing as how you were involved in what happened in Japan and the Wara Ningyo Murders four years ago, not to mention you were a respected FBI agent."

Her memory jolted once again, Naomi sat up fully, torn between a genuine desire to save L's life and her emotional trauma.

"…Even if I wasn't so emotionally vested in this, anything I have to say to the SIS-L is more than a mere opinion, though obviously mine and Raye's life was even less important," she snapped. "If you want to know what's going on, why don't you try asking the person responsible?"

The smallest frown appeared on Near's face.

"And I would, if not for the fact that we don't know who started it…and by "we" I mean me, Mello, and Matt, since I'm unsure that anyone else involved in the SIS-L are genuinely interested in the truth," he replied. "It's easy to place the blame on Beyond Birthday, but even then he obviously had some sort of impetus behind his need to rope L into this game. I suspect it has something to do with A, one of L's former successors, since all the clues we received from Beyond suggest as much. As for the value of your 'opinion', most of L's movements since his departure from France a couple of months ago have run parallel to yours, _and _he employed you to masquerade as Mitsuko Ona. L's placed a lot of trust in you from the start, and considering his role in society and what he's had to do to protect his identity, that speaks volumes."

Another roll of the dice. Eleven.

"What's also obvious is that L left France of his own free will, Beyond or not. He also disregarded the efforts of the SIS-L, not wanting to be found until the opportunity presented itself. Now with these recent developments, I've started to doubt that Beyond's the only reason behind L's peculiar behavior, and I also doubt that L was so affected by stress that he needed to receive psychiatric help."

Somewhere among the darkness, a single light bulb popped up in Naomi's head.

"Psychiatric help?"

"You weren't aware of it?"

"Before Watari and L went to England, Watari held private interrogations for both me and Light Yagami. After he spoke to me, I asked what would happen to L, and all he said was that L would be taken care of."

"Did L seem unstable the last time you saw him?"

Reluctantly, Naomi shook her head, carefully choosing the words that were about to come out of her mouth.

At this point, would it really do any good to tell Near about the terrible things she uncovered about Watari's elite project? After all, Near, Mello, and Matt were also subjects, just as L, Beyond, and A had been. And she was almost certain that they, like their predecessors, would want to take charge and try to rail against the gross misuse of power that had permeated their lives thus far.

And she was also certain that Watari wouldn't allow them to ruin his plans to improve the world, either.

A terrible chill ran up her spine. The only shred of acceptability in L's case was that L was an adult. But would Watari really go so far as to eliminate kids? As intelligent as they were, they were still children.

Just as L, Beyond, and A were human.

"No. He knew what he was doing the whole time, but… it was obvious he was bothered by something."

Near tilted his head up.

"Bothered by what?"

"Nuh-uh-uh…"

Naomi bolted upright, and Near dropped his dice. The taunt came from Beyond, who stood in the threshold of the hotel room, his smirk frighteningly lopsided. Hanging from his right hand was a bag, presumably full of assorted sweets. For a split second, Naomi wondered how he was able to slip into the room without detection.

"You aren't trying to spoil the surprise, are you, Misora?"

His voice froze her in her position. It wasn't like anything she'd ever heard Beyond say before. Contradictory to his reputation as a serial killer, his words had always carried the lilt of an impish child, unaware of how his antics affected others.

But that…

"There's no surprise to spoil," Near snidely replied. "It's become obvious that it's no longer the simple matter of the SIS-L investigating L's disappearance and attempt to catch the primary suspect, that being you. Misora was correct in one thing, however; you're as much a part of this as she is. You and L were both in Los Angeles over two months ago, and the evidence we've uncovered since then suggests that you both moved to New York, then to Italy, and then to England, before resurfacing in Japan. There had to have been a reason."

Beyond let out a disturbing fusion of a high-pitched giggle and the foul baritone chuckle one would expect from someone who told a joke explicitly with the intention of hurting someone's feelings.

"We all have our reasons for choosing what we do in life, some less obvious than others."

"You're purposely avoiding answering my questions."

"Then you should know that your pursuit of the answers is in vain. I already played my part in this farce. It'll be up to L to actually finish it."

"But doesn't Misora deserve a right to know who was responsible for her fiancé's death?"

"And how would that knowledge benefit her right now? She's in a position where she's completely powerless to do anything about it."

_Powerless…_

At that moment, a feeling similar to the one she experienced when L had continued to withhold information from her during her stint as Mitsuko Ona resurfaced, this time a thousandfold. A simultaneous feeling of terror also gripped her for a second, unaware of what she was about to do next.

Then her adrenaline-riddled body resolved the problem.

The bed springs squeaked as Naomi propelled herself off the bed. As Near looked on in amazement, she automatically found her footing, her right arm shot out, grabbing Beyond by the collar of his imitation-L white shirt, and pushed him into the small office desk so hard that Beyond broke all pretense and winced.

"Damn right I've been powerless to do anything!" Naomi roared. "I didn't ask to get involved in the Wara Ningyo Murders, and I sure as hell didn't ask to get involved in whatever you made L leave France for! All I could do was my best, to stay true to my FBI training and try and keep some sense of normality in my life—and I couldn't even do that!"

She tightened her grip on Beyond, her anger melting away as she gradually came upon an important realization.

"But…what you said in the parking lot…that I can't let anyone suffer the same fate…you're right. As far as L's dragged me into this, I have to do him this favor. When he went with me to the drop-off at Tsukiji…I don't know if he did it because that was really his last trump card, but he saved my relationship with Raye, and that much I owe him for, even if our relationship wasn't meant to last long. That's certainly more than I can say for a murderer like you."

She released Beyond and stepped back, entranced by the new expression on the disfigured man's face and unsure of what she'd get in response.

Two seconds passed.

Three…four…

Five…

The edges of Beyond's lips spread out into another taunting smirk.

"Misora, this was never about power, or the lack thereof. This is about taking control of one's life, even if the ultimate outcome's already been decided."

He snuck a glance at Near, who'd been fidgeting with his dice all through Naomi's tirade.

"I have a special power, Misora. I've had it ever since childhood. The power to see the moment of others' deaths—all except mine, that is. Most of them come to be irreversible and inevitable. Believe Bridesmaid, Quarter Queen, Backyard Bottomslash…they were going to die whether I'd been in Los Angeles or not, so equating me with a murderer is a rather brash assumption. I was an opportunist, nothing more. But some deaths can be prevented, or at the very least delayed. Deaths like A's."

Naomi tensed up, now feeling uneasy, partly because all humor escaped Beyond's voice when the subject suddenly veered toward A and the dark past he seemed to represent.

"And sometimes, the choices we can make depend on the choices of others. Do something senseless, and you risk cutting your life short…yours or someone else's. Right now, everything hinges on the choices of one person and one person alone."

"…L."

"I'm glad to see you can assert yourself if need be, but if you really want to help him, Misora, stop fighting fate. You'll break out of it eventually."

* * *

Lights both distant and close blurred together and started to fade, the skies gradating into warm colors as the sun eventually climbed upward on the horizon.

Carter leaned against the sedan doors and crossed his arms, once again checking the perimeter around LAX's expansive entrance/exit area. A couple of SIS-L agents stood just barely out of sight, trying to blend in with the steady stream of early-morning travelers. After the tragedy of MacArthur Park, everyone seemed even more on edge, stealing paranoid glances behind their shoulders and reacting to the smallest noise. Carter, on the other hand, kept his stare mainly on the sets of doors. More agents were inside, ready to escort Watari from his gate to his waiting car—the same car Carter was currently resting on.

For the first time in hours, he felt at peace. There was hardly anything to feel peaceful about, admittedly…or maybe it was because there would finally be some true leadership within the SIS-L, and their problems would soon be resolved.

Not even the ringing of his cell phone rattled his nerves, though it did shake him out of a slight stupor. He rubbed his temples; he desperately needed sleep.

He took out his cell phone.

"Carter…hey, Bullook. No, not yet. Sounds like the plane's just landed. Anyway, what'd you get? All right. Hang onto it. In fact, Watari might want to give us some new direction, so tell everybody at the field office to keep on their toes. How about Loud? Uh huh. Well, I don't want him back on duty until the doctor's absolutely sure. How's the two…? Okay. Nothing new on the mafia side, either, I bet…thought not. All right, see you shortly."

Carter hung up his phone and redirected his focus to the doors just as they opened to reveal an elderly man in a trench and fedora, flanked by a modest entourage.

(End Chapter 35)


	36. Nearsighted

Title: Silent Consonant

By: Dr. Kim-chan

Author's Note: So someone sent me an e-mail recently in which all I got was a link. Curious, I clicked on it and was taken to YouTube, where I found a _reenactment of Misora's challenge to Beyond in Chapter 19!_ (Don't believe me? Go on YouTube and look up "Mitsuko Ona's Message" by Kumori93.) Whoever made that, this chapter's totally for you!

That said, I'll keep on trying to satisfy, which also brings me to an issue that's been bugging me for a while. I finally had the time to go over the first few chapters, and I saw that the timing between L's disappearance and the SIS-L's establishment was inconsistent, so I went back and did some minor edits. If you don't feel like backtracking, I'll summarize now.

The Wara Ningyo Murders happened about three or four years prior to the Kira case. "Silent Consonant" is based on a possible interrogation L held with Beyond, in which Beyond hinted that he'd challenge L again. The next few years pass without incident, but in late 2004 L begins receiving messages from Beyond. Around October, Beyond breaks out of prison, and L goes to Los Angeles to meet up with Naomi. A week or so in total is spent in L.A.

From there, L goes to New York and Italy for Wedy and Aiber before stopping in London for the rest of the clues, which also takes about a week. By that time it's almost November, and after he meets Beyond at A's grave, L disappears entirely. (What happened in that time span will come into play later; he didn't just do nothing for a month.) We then fast-forward to December, when the SIS-L is officially created, and we've been in December ever since, heading into 2005.

Now the Death Note cast prepares to ring in the New Year as we just did, but it may not be as happy as they want it to be…

Additional Note: Since the writing of this chapter, another YouTube user made a video called "Beyond Birthday's Response", based on Beyond's message in Chapter 20.

* * *

"_Almost there," Matt murmured. "It's at…85 percent, so it should finish just in time."_

_In the cramped office room where Carter, Bullook, and Gevanni had been spending the better portion of the past month with Near, Mello, and Matt, aside from other sundry electronics and efficiently sparse furniture, the hallmark of the room had always been the six computers snuggled up to two of the area's walls—one for each person. They shared some common capabilities and databanks, but for the sake of safety, each terminal also came with its own unique set of security measures, such as passwords and firewalls._

_Since Beyond's attack on Loud and kidnapping of Near, everyone felt it better to err on the side of caution and shut down both of their personal terminals for the time being. However, after Carter left the FBI field office to oversee Watari's pickup from the airport, Mello roused Matt into action and had him activate both terminals again, putting Matt on Loud's and himself on Near's. Bullook was naturally suspicious, but she deigned to wait to ask questions until she got the confirmation call from Carter._

"_What are you two doing?" she demanded._

"_We're using Loud's computer to store all the clues Beyond sent us, then we're erasing that information from all the other computers," Mello muttered. "Now show me how to pick and choose multiple locations on a network so I can do a mass deletion. Or do we have to go to each computer separately?"_

"_No, that'll take too long. Here, let me show you," Matt interjected, jumping down from his chair._

_It took a second or two for Bullook to completely comprehend what Mello said, and then…_

"…_Wait. You're withholding evidence from Watari?"_

* * *

"…response from the SIS-L Japan Branch…"

"The possibility of mafia involvement is…"

Bullook chewed on the edge of her upper lip, her attention only partially tuned in to the meeting she was taking part in. The multimedia conference room was dim, but the morale of nearly all the SIS-L members present had been completely restored by the elderly man's return. With many loose threads to deal with—the mafia's hit on Penber and Misora, Beyond's complicated route of escape from Japan, Near and Misora's kidnapping, the events that took place in Japan that still had yet to be fully answered—it was as if the SIS-L's current purpose ran counter to the very reason it had been formed in the first place.

To top it off, there were growing signs of friction between the SIS-L, the rest of the FBI (or whichever government authority held similar responsibilities in the other involved countries), and—especially in Los Angeles—the regular police force.

However, with Watari back in Los Angeles, some of those questions now had the possibility of being answered, and if all went well, things could return to some level of normality.

But…

Bullook wondered if Mello truly had any justification for hiding those few but vital clues Beyond sent to them in the previous days. With the exception of the mathematical puzzle, which had been distributed throughout every terminal in the FBI building for reasons unknown, the rest were now safely hidden behind Matt's security handiwork inside Loud's terminal.

"_Don't you remember what Near said?"_

Mello's condescending voice echoed in the agent's head. Yes, she remembered what Near said, but this had long since gone far past a mere challenge, and even if Beyond had other reasons for excluding Watari from his ultimate plan, wouldn't the risk be greater if they didn't tell him everything?

Nevertheless, about seven hours had passed since Watari's arrival, and even though he was still unaware of the hidden data in Loud's terminal, in that relatively short piece of time the SIS-L had already accomplished four crucial tasks. The first was that the rental company near the San Diego airport finally sent them the information on Beyond's car that they needed, and that data had already been given to the LAPD so they could begin their search. Second, the San Francisco and San Diego airports were in the process of giving up some surveillance footage so the SIS-L could pinpoint Beyond's previous movements more accurately. In addition, the Los Angeles Branch had reestablished communication with the Japan Branch in order to check out Kansai International Airport, the last place Beyond was known to be in their country.

Finally, there were the two mafia members they'd detained at MacArthur Park, Ralph Bay and Kal Snyder. Aside from the list of charges they already racked up due to their mafia affiliations, they now also faced attempted murder charges. Bay didn't talk, but Snyder, apparently nervous and resentful about the whole thing, said as much as he was willing to reveal, but was clueless as to who ordered the hit. Now the issue of whether or not to act on Snyder's advice and perform a raid on Rod Ross's last known hideout had finally been settled.

The sting operation was due to start in approximately three hours, with both SIS-L and non-SIS-L members working in tandem under Watari. With Loud set to be released from the hospital after the operation began, Carter already nominated as second-in-command of the sting, and her own demonstration of her initiative, Bullook's responsibilities would be to take primary responsibility for the kidnapping investigation and keep watch over Mello and Matt.

Those three hours would be some of the longest of her life.

* * *

_Halle Bullook._

_Anthony Carter._

_Stephen Loud._

One by one, L glossed over the three agents' dossiers displayed on the glowing laptop screen, picked up almost entirely from the official databases of the FBI and CIA. As high-risk as the hack job sounded, it paled in comparison to what L accomplished in the past.

Besides, getting caught was the least of his worries.

He could say this for Watari, at least. He knew how to choose the cream of the crop to protect his three successors.

Putting his future plans aside for a moment, L saved the data and set it aside just as his cell phone rang. Even in the dimness of the early evening—made all the more dark by the lack of nearby lights and the car's interior, he easily picked it out of his jeans pocket and pressed the button to answer.

"Hello?"

"_Wedy here._"

He knew what she was going to say next. Wedy wouldn't have called in such a cool tone of voice unless she'd gotten settled in Los Angeles and had something worthwhile to report.

"I'm guessing getting into the city didn't prove too difficult."

"_No. I'm at the Omni Hotel right now…but I could tell on my way over here that this whole situation's got every police officer on edge. And if they're supposed to be on the low end of the SIS-L's chain of command, I can't even imagine what the top brass are thinking right now. But it looks like they got some cool heads to keep things under control right now, namely the old man._"

By "the old man", L knew she meant Watari.

"Any new movements from the Los Angeles Branch?"

"_Well, they've definitely been busy…_"

L noted the hesitant pause in her voice and frowned. In the driver's seat, Aiber briefly glanced over at his sable-eyed partner.

"What is it?"

"_Not that it's any real surprise, but the files I'm getting from their computers contain a lot of conveniently skipped-over details—and I don't mean the stuff they're keeping secret from the media. There's stuff here only Watari and some top-level SIS-L members know, starting with the fact that they're currently short one L-clone; the one called 'Near' was kidnapped at the same time Misora was. What he was doing at Good Samaritan Hospital when that mess at MacArthur Park was going down, though, they didn't say._"

Immediately the cogs in L's mind started to roll and grind. What _was _Near doing at Good Samaritan Hospital during such a chaotic time? The only people who would've been there at the time were Naomi, Penber (who would've been in the emergency room), and whoever rescued them from MacArthur Park in the first place.

Had he wanted to ask Naomi a question?

And if so, did that mean he was starting to follow his own intuition instead of Watari?

Immediately realizing his mind was starting to take on too much of a burden (even for him), L also set that off to the side for future digestion.

"—_and you also know how the news reports have been saying the mafia was behind MacArthur Park? Looks like the SIS-L knows about as much as everyone else does—which is pretty much squat. All they know is that someone claiming to be affiliated with L called one of the top bosses, who got some of his underlings to do the shooting. In exchange, the caller promised them immunity…how the hell did they fall for that…?_"

"What do they plan to do with the two they arrested?"

"_Nothing yet. They want to be absolutely sure so they can take this to trial, so they're going after the big fish first. There's a sting operation going down at the city docks—_"

"When?"

"_A little less than two hours._"

_That's a bold move for you, Watari_, L thought.

Even if there wasn't any solid evidence that said Watari was the one who called the mafia, if Beyond hadn't intervened, everyone would have been hard-pressed for answers. There would have been a golden opportunity to catch Watari in the act.

Isn't that what Beyond would have wanted?

Unless…

If Beyond wanted to move on to his next step, he couldn't have made a move without implicating himself directly, and he wouldn't have been able to do anything effectively without worrying about the SIS-L being on his back. Even though it had come with terrible consequences, now that the situation had played itself out like this, at the very least the SIS-L was momentarily distracted by the mafia, while Beyond was free to do whatever he wanted.

And if nothing else, Naomi Misora survived the shootout.

It seemed so providential, L almost wanted to believe Misora was alive because it was _meant _to be.

But that would be a belief in fate.

And maybe Beyond was making a point by not ousting Watari immediately. Of course it'd be all too easy for him to expose Watari's true motives. If he wanted to, he wouldn't have appropriated the role of scapegoat so readily. He already said it once: it would do no good for L to take a passive role in his own liberation.

Was he giving L one last chance to choose free will?

Did Beyond…want L to go up against Watari?

L took a loud and abrupt exhalation, catching both Aiber's and Wedy's attention.

"L?"

"_L…?_"

L shook his head.

"No, I'm okay…so we don't have that much time left until the sting gets underway. No question they're already en route and beginning to take up their positions. That should give us enough time—"

"There he is."

Aiber's voice carried a new sense of urgency, prompting L to look up through the windshield. The car was parked on the edge of the widest street closest to the vicinity of the neighborhood where Light Yagami's house was located. While Los Angeles was inching closer and closer to sundown, Japan was already falling into the dusk of the next day.

Around the same time L expected Light to leave for cram school.

And there he was, walking in the opposite direction towards the center of the city.

Light Yagami.

It made so much sense.

He had to have been the one to send the e-mails and do the bulk of Beyond's dirty work these past few days.

Considering Beyond's nature, he didn't choose Light simply because he was the son of the SIS-L Japan Branch's leader, nor did he choose Light because he was one of the smartest students in the country.

_While I don't want anyone to get involved, at the same time I cannot say the same for those who willingly try to intervene…_

Those were Beyond's words in the video he forced the Japan Branch to broadcast, just before he showed an image of the hogtied Light.

So Light might have followed his intuition, as well. And at that point in time, there wasn't much for anyone to go on. Something about Light's quickness and methodology must have impressed Beyond, and it took a lot to impress the former serial killer.

And that, in turn, impressed L.

For so long, Beyond wanted so badly to be L, a simultaneous desire and repulsion to follow in the detective's footsteps.

Though L already confessed his shortcomings in this matter…maybe, for once…

L could be Beyond.

"We've spotted Light Yagami now—Aiber, get out of the car and start tracking him. I'll follow shortly. Wedy, here's what I want you to do next. Remember that program I showed you before we left London? Start it up and connect the microphone I lent to you…"

(End Chapter 36)

This chapter is written in memory to Light Yagami, who, on this date, January 28th, 2010, died at the Yellow Box Warehouse in Japan. Whether you liked him or loathed him, at least he began with the best of intentions.


	37. Liberum Arbitrium

Title: Silent Consonant

By: Dr. Kim-chan

Author's Note: Exactly one year ago, I got a crazy idea in my head and wrote and published the first chapter of "Silent Consonant", not knowing that, about 365 days later, it'd be at 37 chapters, receive 200 reviews (stops and thanks strawberry-fields-forever for reaching that momentous mark), have people making _artwork_ and _videos_ for it, and just generally having wonderful readers and reviewers who let me feel that I don't totally suck at writing. So not only are we wishing a happy birthday to those whose birthdays fall in February (including the awesome Naomi Misora (11th), the equally awesome Halle Lidner/Bullook (18th), mafia member Kal Snyder (23rd), and the Original Kira, Light Yagami (28th)), but we're also wishing a happy birthday to the fanfiction itself! Ironic, once you think about it.

I guess this also counts as a Valentine's Day present, but don't get me started on that holiday…bleh. I _did _get a new laptop, though (kisses her Acer Aspire), so that'll probably make updates go a lot faster. (hears readers snickering) Seriously! I mean it!

Anyway…the first chapter started with Light finding out about L's disappearance, and now we've come full-circle. To those who've been waiting and nagging this whole time (and I mean that in a nice way): YES! Light and L will finally meet (not counting their brief encounter in Chapter 21)!

EDIT: Oh poop. I also forgot: Mello's wonderful right-hand man, the gamer Matt...his birthday was/is also this month (right on the 1st). Sorry, Matt...you always seem to be forgotten somehow...

* * *

"_Is the floating blockade in position?_"

"_Affirmative. All lookouts in position. No unauthorized watercraft seen approaching or leaving the perimeter, and all other watercraft not involved with the operation have been instructed to keep a distance of at least two nautical miles…_"

The atmosphere was nothing short of tense.

Though the interior of the large van didn't allow for outside views, a couple of black-and-white monitors showed as much as Watari and the agents cramped inside the van already knew. They were parked at an inconspicuous distance from one of the only two-way intersections on the narrow spit of land—just one of many that comprised of the Port of Los Angeles and the neighboring shores of Long Beach. A few warehouses and industrial complexes had fallen out of use around the area, and even fewer were protected by unwritten rules of decorum, seeing as how the port was an essential gateway for natural resources, cargo, and a couple of cruise ships. In one of those rare unprotected buildings sat one of the mafia's bases of operation, though no one looking in from the outside would have ever been able to tell if it was abandoned or not. For many diverse reasons, the mafia had been able to keep this place free from police presence, only coming here to do business at certain times or in case of an emergency within the crime family.

As one part of the sting team kept ships away and prevented potential escape ships from coming in or leaving, a couple of their undercover agents had been called in to infiltrate the meeting and pick up recordings on new wires set on them so the two primary strike forces outside (one on land and one coming in from behind the warehouse by boat) would have a better idea of when to strike. Leading the land team was Carter himself, based on his army experience and close association with Watari.

Right now, nearly everyone was tuned in to the channel broadcasting the sound coming in from the undercover agents' wires, and last-minute details were being attended to.

"_Strike One is in position_," Carter's voice announced over the crackle of one of the van's radios. "_Strike Two, what's your status?_"

"…_Strike Two closing in on the shore. Less than 0.7 nautical miles until landing. Requesting status of inside targets_."

"No visible lookouts in the building windows or at the entrance," one of the agents in the van reported. "Street traffic is clear. Unauthorized trucks and other vehicles cleared from the surrounding area. Shore Two, what do you see?"

The phrase "Shore Two" referred to another team of lookouts camping out at a loading dock at the edge of a shore less than a couple hundred yards away from the warehouse; the position of the van Watari was in had appropriately been named "Shore One".

A voice chimed in from Shore Two's strategic position, reporting no visible mafia lookouts on their end.

"This is Shore One. All lookouts and all strike forces: once we get the signal from the undercover agents, Strike One will move in from the front first, and Strike Two will enter from the rear as backup," Watari spoke into a communications device. "Primary target is Dwight Gordon, a.k.a Rod Ross. Don't fire any shots unless you're under attack. Understood?"

"_Copy that_," each team reported in one by one.

Sighing, Watari checked his watch, even though the monitors showed the lights of the port illuminating the twilight sky over the edge of land. Unlike everyone else, he knew how this would end up. Rod Ross was already aware of the incoming forces, but he had agreed to play along, so long as he got away scot-free.

Just a few minutes left…

His cell phone vibrated in his coat pocket.

"Watari."

"_It's Bullook._"

She sounded out of breath—a bad sign.

"What's wrong?"

"_I have some news on the Beyond Birthday investigation. Ten minutes ago, beat cops found a car whose plates matched the ones of the car rented under the name of Rue Ryuuzaki at the airport in San Diego. It was found abandoned in the Wholesale District in downtown L.A., so it was most likely just a decoy to throw us off. Just in case, LAPD took it to scrutinize it for more clues. However, we got a hit while canvassing the city using the photo you gave us. There's been a couple of sightings of Beyond at a couple of convenience stores, and none of them have been less than five miles from one of our points of interest: Brentwood Inn, near the Bel Air neighborhood._"

"I see. Don't do anything on that end until we wrap up the operation here. We want to have enough manpower to make sure Beyond's still there."

"_With all due respect, sir, we're not even sure he's there, either._"

"What do you mean?"

"_I have a couple of agents en route to Good Samaritan Hospital. Less than an hour ago, someone sent a video to both us and the SIS-L Japan Branch. Visuals were nothing but a black background and a white Old-English 'L', similar to the design Beyond used in the video broadcasts in Japan. The message was, 'Loud will be silent, beyond will be within reach, and six more equals twelve.' Matt and Mello believed the first part of the video was referring to Agent Loud, so that's why I sent someone out to make sure he hadn't been captured—hold on, I'm getting a call from them right now…_"

A brief pause.

Watari thought he heard some distinctive cursing.

"…_Loud was checked out as per schedule, but his car's still in the hospital's parking garage. The reception desk didn't see anyone come in to pick him up, so they must have got him outside. We're still working on the meaning of the last two parts of the message, though I have a guess the word 'beyond' is referring to Beyond Birthday himself._"

The classic three-pronged attack.

While most of the SIS-L Los Angeles Branch and LAPD were preoccupied with the mafia and Misora and Near's kidnapping, Loud was taken. At this rate, the SIS-L would hardly be able to save itself.

As if they didn't have enough to worry about already.

Was Beyond truly that brilliant?

…Wait.

_A few hours after your departure, there was a national news report in England about two patients escaping from Broadmoor Hospital..._

Roger's words echoed in his mind.

That was the only possible explanation.

But that couldn't be.

L appropriating the role of Beyond?

If he was _that_ desperate, he deserved to be committed.

"…We got the signal from our people inside. All teams are standing by."

Watari looked up at one of the agents helping him coordinate the operation.

"…Understood. Proceed with the operation, but I want Strike One to report back to Shore One immediately after we accomplish our objectives and leave the apprehension to Strike Two. Tell them that once everyone gives the all-clear."

"Strikes One and Two, permission has been granted."

"_Copy that. Strike One moving in!_"

* * *

Whoever this redheaded woman was, this certainly wasn't her first crime.

He felt a lot better, thanks to his stay at the hospital, but that was physically speaking. Confidence-wise, it couldn't be any further from the truth.

It seemed an embarrassing situation for a CIA operative to find himself in, but what could he truly do? He had no gun on him, and so far, the woman didn't reveal a weapon or present herself as an imminent threat.

_What do you want with me?_

_I don't want anything to do with you. As for the person who does, he hasn't told me yet, so I'm not really in a position to answer that question. I guess we'll know soon enough, won't we?_

That was all they'd said to each other thus far, and now she was herding him into an elevator at some upscale hotel downtown. Like an expert, she made him skirt around all the surveillance cameras in the lobby without looking too conspicuous, using the stairways to get to their room instead of the elevator.

She didn't want to be traced.

Reasonable enough, since she was absconding with a CIA agent, but there had to be something more to this.

One quiet hallway later, she ushered him into a comfortable suite. The sitting area was littered with electronic equipment, but other than that, it didn't seem as if she'd been staying here for very long. Taken aback by the cordial surroundings, it took a while for Loud to regain his composure, and he turned his body to the side in a cautious gesture and shuffled against the wall slowly. He was a rare breed of government agent, one who tended to lower his guard when it came to women who were the least bit attractive. But when he needed to, he could be rather brutal with anyone who crossed him.

But again, the redheaded woman did nothing more than walk right past him.

"All right. So I picked you up. That makes six more...I guess I should contact him."

"Contact who?"

She smirked.

"If you think it's this Beyond Birthday character the SIS-L's chasing, then I'll assure you now that it's not. We might both be considered 'criminals', but we're on two completely different wavelengths. If you ask me, that guy's in a universe of his own."

"…I never heard a criminal actually admit that they're a criminal."

"And I didn't say I was a criminal, either. I said _other _people consider me a criminal. I'd consider myself more of a professional."

She sat down in a loveseat and began dialing a number into a cell phone, seemingly oblivious to the fact that she was dealing with someone on equal level with her, and not even considering the possibility that Loud could very well turn this situation (if it could be called that) to his advantage. Loud only knew a couple of people with this kind of attitude.

Those who didn't know what they were doing, and those who did.

She held up the cell phone—now ringing—to him.

"Wait a minute…who're the six others you were talking about? And you still haven't answered my first question."

"If you want to know that badly, answer the damn phone."

Tentatively, Loud took it from her hands and held the receiver up to his ears.

"…Hello?"

* * *

Blurred images of the city raced past Light's eyes as the train brought him closer to his stop. It was like every other evening; he was coming back home from cram school, anticipating an evening of study, anticipating his college entrance exam in the coming weeks, and fulfilling his role as Japan's best student.

Only today, he had two passengers with him.

One of them held a cell phone up to his ear with nothing but a forefinger and a thumb, and though not many people talked on their cell on a train in Japan, at least this strange character had the decorum to whisper.

"I'm assuming this is Stephen Loud, the CIA operative contracted by Watari to protect my successors—Near, Mello, and Matt. And yes, by saying "my successors", I'm simultaneously claiming that my identity is L, the world-famous detective Watari has been working with all these years and the one for whom the SIS-L was created. If you want absolute confirmation that I am who I say I am, then it should go without saying that it won't do for me to just repeat data that can easily be obtained through the FBI's database by a hacker."

Light glanced over at the man's dark bags encircling his eyes. His face hardened as he paused.

"Since it's extremely sensitive data, Watari doesn't keep photographs or descriptions of my successors anywhere in the database, and given his usual tactics, Beyond wouldn't have had the opportunity to see anyone but Near, so the only people who would have ever seen the other two are me, Watari, you, Agent Bullook, and Agent Carter. Given that…I know Mello is blond, and Matt is a redhead. And Mello, if I'm not mistaken, has a propensity towards chocolate."

Another short pause.

"…Good. Then these next several hours should go a lot smoother. I can't exactly tell you how, but very soon I'll give Beyond no other choice but to bring himself out into the open. Once that happens, Misora and Near should be back in the SIS-L's care, and after that, my accomplice will contact me again once you two have garnered the support of Bullook and Carter. After everyone's gathered, the eight of you will leave at different times from different airports and regroup at another undisclosed location. My successors and Misora will vouch for the authenticity of my identity when the time comes. Just follow my accomplice's instructions for the time being—and be prepared to cut off all ties with the SIS-L."

L hung up the phone. Sitting across from Light, Aiber smirked and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"One down, huh?"

L ignored the con man's quip and turned to the caramel-haired teenager sitting next to him, the deathly serious expression on the detective's face replaced by one of genuine curiosity. That coupled with his pale skin, wild hair, large eyes, and larger dark bags added a sense of surrealism to the whole situation.

Neither could Light believe that, less than an hour ago, he'd been approached by him and his Italian co-conspirator, not wanting to kidnap him, but rather wanting to ride the train with him.

But of all people, Light knew this was L.

That memory of the Tsukiji fish market—as well as his memories of Beyond—would never leave his mind.

"Yagami-kun…how much do you know about me?" L asked.

Light blinked, not expecting the question or the familiarity L added to the suffix of his name, but he was more than able to give an answer.

"...About as much as Misora does, I guess."

"And how much is that?"

Light grimaced. He really didn't know what to think of this man at this point. He knew this was L only because he'd seen Beyond Birthday, so he could differentiate between the two, but L was more than a far cry from the idealistic image he held in his mind ever since he first heard of the renowned sleuth. For one thing, L's manners were, to say the least, unpolished. They'd only met a few moments ago, and already L was severely testing both his intelligence and his patience, as if Light hadn't been kidnapped by Beyond and become privy to the dirty secrets of both Watari and the SIS-L.

Well, if he was as smart as everyone claimed he was, maybe he'd appreciate his cynicism.

"Enough to know that things for you can't get any worse," Light retorted.

Aiber snorted loudly, and again L disregarded him, putting the edge of his thumbnail in his mouth.

"…You're right. I suppose they can't. On the other hand, if a situation cannot possibly get any worse, then if the popular maxim is true, it has no other choice but to improve—which is why I came to Japan to solicit your help in the first place."

L's head perked up as the train began to slow down.

"We won't be getting off with you, so I must ask you to listen closely and remember what I tell you. My accomplice in Los Angeles recently sent a video to both the Los Angeles and Japan Branches of the SIS-L. If Beyond doesn't already know about it, tell him, and also tell him that I've decided to accept free will—in those exact words."

_All those of the world…there is such a thing as fate, but there is also such a thing as free will. Most have the choice of exercising free will in order to change their fate, the choice of discovering what they can do with their lives…_

Beyond's message to the SIS-L.

Was that what he was referring to?

"…It'll be an eighty-five percent chance that once he receives that message, he'll transfer his 'hostages' to me. I expect everyone to be here by tomorrow night at the latest, and I'd like you to meet us here as well. Only then can I be able to explain myself in full."

After L made sure Light memorized the name and address of the hotel and the room number, the train finally stopped at Light's station. Light stood up and made a move for the doors, but before he stepped out, he heard L's voice call him back.

"Yagami-kun…do you believe in fate or free will?"

Light paused, seriously contemplating the question for a few seconds…but only for a few seconds.

"As long as you're using your life for a positive purpose, what difference does it make? The minute you start asking that, it really doesn't matter."

L smiled—the first true one he'd given in weeks.

"…That is my sentiment as well. I believe we'll work well together, after all."

"Work well together—? Wait!"

Before Light could get an answer to his own question, the door slid closed, and the train began to pick up speed until it disappeared down the track.

(End Chapter 37)


	38. Exodus

Title: Silent Consonant

By: Dr. Kim-chan

Author's Note: Birthday roll call for March? Let's see…we got Ooi on the 31st…you know, the bald guy with the shades from Yotsuba? And then we have Hatori on the 22nd, the other Yotsuba guy who's probably only known for the fact that he was offed first. Yeah, March is a slow month.

But not for me! See? I _told _you my updates would be a little quicker. But I can't attribute it entirely to my new laptop. Things have gotten a bit easier in my little corner of the universe, and now that some of the most confusing parts of "Silent Consonant" have been dealt with (keyword: some), I'm excited to see how L's and Beyond's plans will pan out—yes, you heard right. Some things I really don't know how I'll figure out. Some things that are about to come up, I'd already planned for a long time before (probably as early as Chapter 13), but as for the "Absolute End of the Story"…I can only shrug my shoulders.

That said, this chapter officially marks the end of what I've come to call the "L.A. Chapters".

* * *

Right from the day the SIS-L was established, the whole case seemed to have been following the same pattern.

One step forward—and probably ten steps backward, if not a complete and humiliating stumble.

Bullook stormed down the hallway toward the room where she'd been holed up with L's successors for the majority of her time in Los Angeles, a new set of reports in her hand and a lot of unanswered questions swarming around her mind.

The first, obviously, pertained to the most recent developments.

What good did it do for Beyond to take yet _another_ hostage? If he already had Near and Naomi, why did he need to kidnap Loud? Near and Naomi were probably the biggest advantages he held right now. And as for Loud, Beyond could have taken him when he knocked him unconscious the first time they crossed paths at Good Samaritan Hospital, not to mention this only made the hole he'd put himself in even deeper.

More importantly, how did this all fit in with the puzzle given in the video?

_Loud will be silent, beyond will be within reach, and six more equals twelve._

Was it even Beyond who sent that video?

And if it wasn't Beyond who sent it, why did it take them so long to consider the possibility that he had an accomplice?

Her cell phone rang.

She stopped just outside the door to the room where Mello and Matt were waiting and flipped the phone open.

"Hello?"

"_Bullook?_"

"…Loud?"

"_Are you alone?_"

"…Am I _alone_? What's going on? Where _are _you? It's _chaos_ over here! The SIS-L just received a video implying that you were kidnapped!"

"_Believe me, I'm pretty much as clueless as you are about what's going on…but here's what I know so far…_"

* * *

"…Hm?"

Once again, Naomi was roused from a restless sleep by Beyond and the ethereal light of his laptop monitor.

It'd been a surprisingly short time since they'd been taken by L's archenemy, but with nothing to do except wait for the pivotal moment that would free her and Near from this tiny hotel room, she had nothing much else to do except think—and not just about Raye's death.

She'd always entertained the notion of going back to the FBI, and she'd been equally prepared to become a good wife. Now none of those possibilities would happen anytime soon. Raye was dead, and the FBI was too deep in Watari's claws; she could never trust her superiors again.

And so—as she'd slowly came to realize with a shock—she was almost in exactly the same position as L.

She couldn't imagine fulfilling any other position in her life.

_I have become overspecialized in my own field of work, a unique individual among many, with a singular purpose. As a result, I now find myself at a great disadvantage. I don't know if I could do anything else…_

And then there was that single, persistent mystery.

Who was truly responsible for killing Raye?

For the most part, however, the adrenaline rush had worn off, her mind unable to process any more information or figure out any more solutions. She couldn't say the same for Near, who always stayed in his safe corner, rarely venturing to talk with Naomi even when Beyond left the room, playing with the only set of dice he'd accidentally brought along with him.

Beyond, on the other hand, always seemed to have something to do. Whenever he didn't venture out into the outside world to buy more sweets, he spent every other half hour checking the databases of whatever computers he was hacking into—most likely those of the FBI and the SIS-L. As L himself would say, she gave it a 94 percent chance.

Brushing a few strands of hair out of her hair, she twirled around an eye to look at the scar-faced ex-convict.

But this time, something was different.

He cracked a smile. A _real _smile. Without a sinister chuckle or anything.

It was almost frightening.

"Looks like our time together is about to come to an end," he muttered.

Now Naomi was fully awake, and Near was giving his full attention.

"What?"

"Look."

He moved out of the way of the laptop screen, revealing to his two hostages a media player displaying a stark black screen with a white, Old-English 'L' in the middle.

"This video was sent to the Japan and Los Angeles Branches of the SIS-L just a couple of hours ago," he said.

He clicked on the 'Play' button.

"…_Loud will be silent, beyond will be within reach, and six more equals twelve._"

"…What does that mean?"

"It means that L's finally taking some initiative."

Naomi pushed herself up by her forearms as Beyond switched browser windows and showed a simple e-mail message from an unknown sender.

"'Beyond…as long as you choose to cooperate, I will choose free will'," she recited.

Internally, some of Naomi's distress melted away, as well as some of her lingering anger towards L.

She still believed her life would have had some sort of normality if L never contacted her in the first place, but she realized that was just wistful thinking and whining. If being in the FBI taught her anything, it was that the world hid darker secrets than it seemed, and that there always seemed to be more than one reality—and ignoring one or more of those realities could result in worse consequences. She never wanted L to die, especially not by the hands of some self-righteous inventor.

Now, whatever kind of wretched death Watari had tried sentencing him to, and whatever Beyond did to counter it, L survived.

…Watari.

Meanwhile, on the floor beside her, Near cocked a snowy eyebrow.

_Free will?_

His question remained more or less unanswered as Beyond clambered out of the chair and reached for a black telescope bag he kept stashed in the closet near the door since he first arrived a couple of days ago.

"I guess this also means you'll both finally get your answers."

"…Beyond…"

The former successor lifted his head up and glanced over his shoulder at Naomi, who was now sitting straight up on the bed.

"…I already know who was behind the mafia hit."

Beyond smirked.

"I don't doubt that you do."

* * *

The second Carter stepped out of the car, the very first thing he spotted was Bullook, waiting near one of the FBI field office's rear entrances.

The vans holding teams Strike One, Strike Two, and Watari were already on their way to the LAPD's headquarters to book and process a new batch of suspects in the MacArthur Park case, tailed by a seemingly modest squad car escort. As soon as they rounded up Rod Ross and a couple of his underlings, Watari called Carter to the Shore One van, informed him about the latest developments in the Beyond Birthday case, and dispatched him in a private vehicle with another agent.

The air was a little chilly, but Carter had to wipe some sweat off of his forehead. He'd worn combat uniforms before, but the bulletproof gear he had to wear during the raid on the mafia hideout had been unbearably uncomfortable, and he couldn't help but feel a little glad that Watari allowed him to shed it immediately after the operation was declared a success. Nevertheless, seeing Bullook waiting for him outside—and looking extremely anxious, at that—wasn't helping to ease the slight rush of adrenaline coursing throughout his body.

Though the other agent paused for a second at the sight of Bullook, Carter sent him inside with an imperceptible nod, leaving the two alone.

"I don't like that look you're giving me. What's wrong?"

"…I got a call from Loud about ten minutes ago."

"You know where he is?" Carter demanded.

"I couldn't trace the call; he contacted me by cell phone, but he gave me some instructions, so I was out here waiting for you so we could track him down. But before we do, there's a few things I have to tell you."

Carter raised an eyebrow.

"All I can tell you right now is that he's safe and that he's not alone, but he's not with Beyond—and he said he got in contact with L."

"…With L? I thought Watari took L to England!"

"So did I, but Loud said he talked to L himself over the phone. What I _really _don't get is that Loud said that L told him to 'prepare to cut off all ties with the SIS-L'. Whatever _that _meant, either way I don't like how it sounds. Is there something else to this investigation no one's telling us?"

"Come on, Halle. Now you sound like Beyond. And how the hell did Loud know it was the real L? If anyone hasn't already noticed, we still have a prime suspect on the loose! And I'm still not convinced Beyond wasn't the one behind that attack on MacArthur Park—"

"He knew Mello loved chocolate."

Carter stopped cold, and Bullook's expression hardened.

"And he knew Mello's and Matt's physical characteristics, _and _he knew who Loud was. No one else but Watari and us could have known that, Anthony. That isn't in any of the SIS-L's databases, and Beyond couldn't have known that, either."

A moment of silence.

"…So what do we do?"

"I already told you what we're going to do," Bullook replied matter-of-factly. "Watari and the rest of the SIS-L will be busy for at least the next couple of hours processing and interviewing the guys you all rounded up at the port, we still have to keep an eye on wherever else Beyond might be, and some of the agents here are busy maintaining correspondence with the Japan Branch. We might as well handle this ourselves. Worst-case-scenario is it's a trick, but if Beyond and the mafia's as shorthanded as we are right now, we can handle it."

After a moment of hesitancy, Carter crossed his arms and nodded in agreement.

"Let's go, then. We're taking my car," Bullook said, stepping towards the parking lot.

"Where's Mello and Matt? Inside?"

"They're already in the backseat."

"…Wait, what? What do you mean, 'they're already in the backseat'?"

"Another worst-case scenario: we don't take Mello and Matt with us, and something serious really does go down in the next couple of days, or in the next couple of hours. What then? And what about those clues we kept getting? Besides, all the other agents are running around in there with their heads cut off."

Carter still looked unconvinced.

"One of us gets out of the car and finds out what's going on with Loud; the other stays in the car with them," Bullook explained, a tone of exasperation slipping into her voice. "And I can't see the mafia in a position to make any moves right now, not when we have half their members and one of their kingpins under lock and key."

Carter heaved yet another sigh, this time out of sheer frustration. He hadn't worked with Bullook at all before the formation of the SIS-L; how was he supposed to know she was such a risk-taker?

But, frighteningly enough, she was right.

* * *

L chewed his thumb, slightly reclined in the couch and keeping a fixed stare on the laptop sitting on the coffee table in front of him.

Just under an hour ago, he received an e-mail from Light, passing on the message that Beyond saw his video and would indeed relinquish his hostages.

Under one condition.

Apparently Beyond wasn't planning on giving them to Wedy, but rather would send Naomi and Near straight to Japan from LAX. Everyone else, of course, Wedy would have to round up on her own and herd them out of Los Angeles.

It was tempting for L to label it as a display of obstinacy typical of Beyond's nature, but even with the SIS-L spread so thin at the moment, it'd be necessary to take all precautions. Besides, it would simply be easier this way. If he had everyone come at once from one location, it'd be all too easy for Watari and the rest of the SIS-L to catch on.

Now all he could do now was wait.

In another corner of the room, Aiber also had his laptop open, but he was busy preparing another part of L's plan. Aiber hadn't been able to stop smirking since they left London. Whatever happened between L and Watari in the past month or so, the former had become an entirely different creature. The data he was handling now would usually be considered sensitive, and though the con man was by all accounts a part of L's inner world, there were some things L just didn't trust him with before.

Then, in the space of a week, everything changed.

_The excitement never stops when L's around_, Aiber thought.

L's cell phone rang.

"Hello? Bullook…? Are Mello and Matt with her? No, that's all right. I expected them to take such precautions. That just proves they're as competent as I hoped they'd be. Let me talk to her."

Another short pause, and then L more or less recited the same spiel he told Loud, with a few additional bits of convincing information and some instructions, including convincing her to "bring Carter and his successors up to the hotel room" and for Wedy to connect with his laptop and activate the web cam program before he hung up.

…Web cam?

"The great, mysterious detective is showing his face to strangers?" Aiber jested.

"I can say this much for Beyond; he was able to push Watari to such drastic measures that he authorized the dissemination of the only existing photographs of himself. The fact that Misora was able to save Beyond before he self-immolated will also make it easier for them to differentiate us. And after A's death, Watari made some changes to his project and let me have more personal contact with my successors. This will be the only way they can validate my identity. I'm not inclined to agree with Beyond, but maybe there's something to be said for the long-term consequences of an individual's actions."

"Hmph. Don't start waxing philosophical on me now," Aiber dismissed. "If it was that easy, I would've been able to predict you getting me and Wedy into this mess."

L said nothing in response, leaving the duo in silence until the phone rang again.

"Hello? All right. You can connect with me now."

An agonizing pause.

Then…

"_...L?_"

"…Hello, Mello. Hello, Matt."

(End Chapter 38)


	39. Twelve

Title: Silent Consonant

By: Dr. Kim-chan

Author's Note: I have to explain this chapter before you read it. It starts off right when everyone's arriving in Japan, but every other section of the chapter goes back to the immediate aftermath of Watari and the SIS-L realizing that everyone's missing, as well as what Beyond plans to do next, and the time gap between each section gradually shrinks until the end. Hope that doesn't sound too crazy; you know and I know that it wouldn't have behooved any of us to comb through every single one of the 15 or 18 hours of travel between Los Angeles and Japan. I'll just be covering major events and emotional responses here, and then…oh, I'm so excited!

And thanks to all my readers, out of all the fics I've written since I joined FanFiction (dot) Net, this one got the most Story Faves, Story Alerts, _and _the highest review count to date. I'm extremely happy to have had all this support so far, because writing this is NOT as easy as it sounds.

P.S.: "Figure 09" by Linkin Park—probably the best "L/Beyond adversarial relationship" theme song I've heard so far.

P.S.S: This is BY FAR the longest chapter I've ever written. (18 pages!)

* * *

"I'm home, Mom."

Light announced his arrival from school as he stepped into the _genkan _of his house and closed the door behind him, but before his mother could even step into the hallway, he raced upstairs to his room to change out of his school uniform and into more casual clothes suitable for a couple of hours of cram school.

And to check his e-mail.

He knew very well that L told him he didn't expect anyone to arrive until this evening at the latest, and it was implied that L wouldn't hold any kind of meeting amongst everyone or divulge any information until _everyone _was present at the location he specified (and by "everyone", he meant Light as well), but the soon-to-be high school graduate still couldn't prevent himself from periodically checking his e-mail all through last night, ever since he received Beyond Birthday's strangely complicit reply to his enemy's request.

It didn't sound as if L and Beyond were joining forces so much as they were merely using each other for their own gain in the face of a common adversary, but something terrible had to happen nonetheless in order to them to even be pushed that far.

After changing into a thin turtleneck and a pair of khakis, Light plopped into his desk chair and logged onto his computer, clicking his way to his inbox so quickly, it seemed nothing less than pure instinct.

No new e-mails yet…

Light sighed, but kept the browser window open as he slid out of his chair and gathered everything he needed for his cram school lessons.

Though for once, his academic career no longer sounded like the most important thing in the world.

* * *

A black-blue sky hung over Los Angeles, wavering between an extremely late night and the earliest hours of the following morning.

Under the naturally lightless cover, a small convoy of dark-colored cars pulled into one of the side parking lots of the FBI field office building and parked close to each other, though not literally side-by-side. The third car in line parked closest to the entrance, and it was this one which Watari stepped out of, followed by the driver and a second passenger agent.

In an ominous echo of what occurred at the same place a couple of hours ago, another SIS-L member stood stock-still near the entrance, but as soon as he spotted Watari coming near him, he strode up to him with a haste that could foretell only one thing.

"Is there something wrong?" Watari asked, peering under the brim of his fedora.

"No, sir. Agents Carter and Bullook wanted to inform you they left to pursue a lead on the Beyond Birthday case and that they'd return in an hour or so," the brunette man said. "They also said that if they didn't return within two hours, then standard communications protocol could be taken."

"What time did they leave?"

"An hour and twenty minutes ago, sir."

"How are the…'charges'? Where are they?"

"Carter and Bullook took them along, sir. They had particular concerns for their safety, especially considering the recent video threat."

Watari furrowed his brow and allowed the smallest of frowns to slip onto his face, contemplating this short oral report before he continued on through the front door and beckoned the brunette to stay by his shoulder for a moment longer.

"I'll oversee Carter and Bullook personally. Everyone else may continue working alongside the rest of the FBI and the LAPD in investigating the mafia and processing all the evidence we've found thus far. I also want three SIS-L members to go and stake out the Brentwood Inn in the northwest outskirts of the city."

"Yes, sir."

* * *

Light leaned back against the backrest of the bench and stared upward, concentrating on nothing in particular except returning home and checking back up on his e-mail.

With graduation and the upcoming college entrance exams the main concern of high school students everywhere, his cram school classes were covering a lot more material, especially in the more difficult subjects such as mathematics, so his schedule ran on a little longer than usual. As a consequence, he'd just missed the last train by four minutes, and now he had to wait another five or ten until another one showed up.

For right now, however, he couldn't digest that evening's lectures and problems. He couldn't think about his possible acceptance into To-Oh University in a couple more months, and he certainly couldn't handle the stress of college exams.

All he could think about was resolving one final mystery.

* * *

_Riiiinng._

_Riiiinng._

Bullook took out her cell phone from her jacket pocket, but looked at the call number instead of answering immediately as she was prone to do.

"…It's Watari."

"Don't answer it."

Bullook glanced beside her at Mello, who had given the order before Wedy could think of it. She would've done the same if he had said it or not, but something in his voice slightly slowed down her reflexes.

She couldn't see his face right now; he was draped over a plastic armrest of a chair.

More importantly, all of them were waiting for a flight out of the city at San Bernardino International Airport…and even the term "all" couldn't fully apply.

As per L's instructions (and the laws of careful tactics in such situations), they were supposed to meet him and a couple more associates in a yet-to-be-disclosed location in Japan, but they all couldn't leave the city together. Wedy, Bullook, and Mello left for San Bernardino in one city, while Carter, Loud, and Matt made their way to Ontario International Airport. With any luck, they'd slip out of the city and reunite at the same location within hours (or even minutes) of each other.

It didn't consciously occur to Bullook, but one's mind sometimes had the curious ability to single out one worry amongst others, some of them probably more distressing or important than the one being focused on.

And true to form, it wasn't the fact that—as Matt conveniently pointed out at the Omni Hotel—Wedy was the same woman seen in the orphanage footage Beyond sent to them, or that they were trusting Beyond to hold up his end of an agreement he made with L and send Misora and Near out of Los Angeles through LAX.

No…what disturbed the former Secret Service agent most was that Watari hadn't been telling them the whole truth.

Probably for those exact same reasons, Mello hadn't been his typical volatile self ever since he saw his mentor's face via web cam, not once demanding further information or asking for a chocolate bar. Matt seemed to have taken the situation better, and as for Near…who the hell knew? Someone could have said L was an alien and he probably wouldn't have budged an inch. Bullook could see him now, on a plane, buckled in next to Misora, every bit the innocent child he often acted like.

And yet, there also seemed to be an odd sense of relief.

Ever since her superiors in New York assigned her to work with the SIS-L, she'd had her suspicions about this case, and they'd only grown the longer it dragged on.

A detective and his assistant, both of whom almost never showed their faces and yet had such unimaginable power over the realms of politics and crime.

An equally intelligent serial killer whose past and present was somehow intertwined with them.

Three young successors from some forsaken place in England, of which very few SIS-L members were informed about.

L making Misora pose as Mitsuko Ona.

When L _was _finally found, Watari suddenly wrote him off as having a mental breakdown and claimed to have sent him to England for psychological evaluation, almost totally discrediting the Japan Branch's efforts.

This redheaded woman sitting across from Bullook and her male accomplice, at the orphanage and posing as DGSE agents, but somehow in league with L.

Beyond helping L's successors.

The mafia's involvement.

The kidnappings, and Raye Penber's needless death.

None of it made sense anymore. Some of it never had.

Maybe…ignoring Watari's call had been the right thing to do after all.

* * *

"Is this it?"

Naomi shivered in response to Near's question, though it had nothing to do with the answer she was about to give him.

It was déjà vu.

Right now, this hotel corridor didn't look any different from the one in the Omni Hotel. She'd stood there in a daze, too, after L called her that morning in Los Angeles and instructed her to go there in order to help him. She'd never forgot how shocked she was, to see a messy-haired young man eating cherries and perching himself on the edge of an expensive-looking loveseat like a wild bird on a twig.

And she expected to be just as shocked now. She thought he'd already been killed in some godforsaken place in England, and the crime covered up cleanly by Watari's overwhelming influence.

But, as one probably expected the world's greatest detective to do, he survived his former associate's clutches unscathed.

But what did he plan to do now?

_People can change their fates, Misora…not experiments._

Maybe…hopefully…he no longer considered himself a mere experiment.

Misora shifted her grip on the black telescope bag and turned the knob.

* * *

He peeked through the opening in the curtains.

That same car had been parked on the same curb several hours ago.

He smirked. It couldn't be anyone else.

He was hoping the Los Angeles Branch would have caught on to the trails he left in the nearby convenience stores sooner, but expectations could only go so far. The SIS-L was created as a special-ops group, originally meant to do nothing more than follow concrete clues and perform missions that needed a delicate touch.

Either way, it was time to play his part.

Beyond backpedaled away from the window and strode over to the narrow closet in the tiny corridor between the door and the left side of the bed. In the middle of this extremely short trek, he once again noted how the hotel room felt much more open and lonelier without Misora and Near, even though neither of them talked much during their captivity. He also didn't have as much luggage as he came with, since he gave the black telescope bag to Misora.

But he was used to loneliness, and he had no longer needed them or the supplies in that bag. They had their own parts to play.

First, he pulled out a black hoodie and slipped it over his long-sleeved white shirt, flipping the hood up over most of his head.

Then he pulled out the gun.

His smirk faded a bit as the feel of the metal brought back memories of the gun's previous owner, now dead by someone else's bullets.

Bullets used in an execution that Beyond orchestrated, as the SIS-L had been led to believe.

_Let them believe._

Beyond put the gun in his hoodie's pouch pocket and checked the clock. Since his arrival, he committed to memory the schedule of Brentwood Inn's staff. At this hour in the morning, someone was due to come clean the rooms in this hallway any moment now.

Some shuffling outside.

Beyond went to the door and opened it a crack. About five doors down, a woman in her late twenties struggled with positioning her cart at a perfect distance away from a fire extinguisher set in the wall. Within a realm no one else could see, her name and a few numbers hovered over her head like a gloomy alphanumeric cloud, dictating her time of death.

She wasn't destined to die today, or any time soon.

Beyond left his room door open and made his way to the cart.

He was already being accused of a number of crimes.

At the very least, he could be courteous and respect her life's timeline.

* * *

Trudging down the paved narrow lane, Light looked ahead of him.

The gate in front of his house was less than nine yards away.

_Riiiinng._

Light froze, then took out his cell phone and checked the number.

Unknown caller.

Light answered it anyway.

"Hello?"

"_Hello, Yagami-kun. I know I said I would send you an e-mail, but in the end I decided it would be faster and more convenient to contact you by phone. That way you also wouldn't need to erase any evidence from your computer's hard drive._"

"And what about all the messages Beyond Birthday sent me?" Light asked, a little irritated at L's blatant snooping, since he never told him his cell phone number.

"_That'll be dealt with soon enough. At the moment the more pressing matter is that everyone I've sent for has arrived. They all should be at the hotel in less than twenty minutes, so please come as soon as you can._"

L hung up before Light could offer an affirmation, sending the teenager further into a silent fury. If he was going to participate in whatever insane plan L dreamt up, some of L's annoying habits would definitely have to be tolerated.

However, Light wasn't entirely in a quandary; as leader of the SIS-L Japan Branch, his father already knew Beyond was already far on the other side of the world, and time and a bit of gentle persuasion had softened his mother's tight grip on his after-school activities.

Still, was this worth some familial discomfort?

Light allowed him a couple of seconds to answer that question before he turned back around and jogged off towards the nearest train station.

* * *

Watari's eyes swept over the dim-lit conference room, making sure that those who needed to be present were, and then he began to speak.

"I know we are severely shorthanded at the moment, but I felt that calling a meeting was imperative, considering the circumstances."

A microsecond of pause.

"I presume everyone here is aware of the disappearance of one of our agents, Stephen Loud. I've been told no further leads have been found on that end, but now we are dealing with an even graver problem. The other two agents I contracted from New York, Anthony Carter and Halle Bullook, left the premises more than eight hours ago, supposedly to pursue new information they'd received on the Beyond Birthday end of this investigation. However, I have attempted to call them numerous times and received no answer."

Some murmurings around the room.

"At this time, we must give serious consideration to the possibility that agents Carter and Bullook are in dire need of assistance, either due to mafia members acting in retaliation to the recent arrest of Dwhite Gordon or our principal suspect, Beyond Birthday. Since so many of us are already working on other aspects of this investigation, I feel it best if—"

The door flew open, letting in not only the light from the outside, but also an extremely harried raven-haired female agent.

"We just got a call from the chief of police and our stakeout guys at the Brentwood Inn. There's a hostage situation going down."

* * *

Light walked into the baroque hotel lobby, small doses of adrenaline coursing through him.

He was someone who always closely followed rules and routine. He never stayed out so late, not even on the weekends, much less run off into the city right after cram school—after being kidnapped by an internationally known serial killer—to meet someone he only saw once at some upscale hotel.

But he had no right to complain.

This was what he wanted.

A life free from routine.

The knowledge that there was something beyond high school and college entrance exams and cram school and being Japan's best student.

The possibility to play an important part in eradicating corruption from the world.

He probably should have been more specific about his wishes.

He quickly scanned the lobby to find some elevators or a staircase, but before he had the chance, a fair-haired man jumped up from a plush couch in the sitting area and stepped in front of Light. His outfit was almost as lavish as the rest of the room, but the slight shade of growth on his chin roughened his image.

The same man who rode with him on the train last night.

"Right on time." He chuckled. "L would appreciate that. This way, please."

Light kept quiet and obeyed, even when he noticed they were taking the elevator rather than the stairs. They probably wouldn't have been able to take the stairs if they tried; the hotel was more than thirty stories tall.

Aiber pushed the button for the twenty-sixth floor, and the doors closed.

"Quite the group he assembled. First those kids, now a Japanese high school student."

Light looked over as the smiling con man.

"Kids?"

"You'll see 'em soon. L's hardly made a peep since we've been here, and he's not saying anything else until our guest of honor arrives."

Light didn't respond, knowing that the older man meant him.

Their trip was delayed for a moment by a woman on the fourteenth floor who wanted to go up to the twenty-third, and then they reached their floor.

Aiber's grin grew broader and Light's heart beat a little faster as they wound their way through a number of silent halls drenched in tans and reds until they reached a corridor reserved for a few suites and stopped in front of a door labeled "1301". In an underwhelming conclusion, Aiber knocked first before opening it and ushering his companion in.

It wasn't the life-changing moment he expected. It was a very expansive suite, half-full of people either sitting or standing around. More than a few of them looked unquestionably stressed.

"And here's the last one," Aiber announced before taking his seat next to a blonde woman in large designer shades. With no other vacancies, Light decided to stay standing, now focusing on the person in the middle of the room.

L.

The corner of his lips twitched as he took his hand out of a candy dish, then adjusted his sitting posture before speaking.

"I'm sure you all want to know why I wanted everyone to meet here like this, and I know some of you are wondering where I've been for the past few months, as well as the true motives of those who've been involved with the SIS-L, especially my close associate Watari. First, however, since we'll be working closely together from now on, we should introduce ourselves to each other. I'll assume everyone knows who I am."

He turned his head to the three kids—a blonde, a redhead, and one with hair the color of cotton.

"These are my three successors, Near, Mello, and Matt. They're the youngest of this group, but they have been trained to be my successors in the event that anything ever happened to me, and I know they will be up to any task given to them. The woman over there on the right is Naomi Misora, a former FBI agent from Los Angeles. She assisted me in the Los Angeles BB Murder cases four years ago, so she's well acquainted with Beyond Birthday as well as my methodology."

He shifted his gaze to the couch on his left.

"This is Thierry Morrello and Mary Kenwood, also known as Aiber and Wedy. They are international career criminals specializing in breaching security, cybercrime, identity theft, and fraud. When I worked on their cases, I struck a deal with each of them, and they've been assisting me ever since whenever the situation has called for it. Despite their pasts, they can indeed be trusted."

"How kind of you," Wedy muttered.

"Behind them, starting from the one closest to Wedy, are Stephen Loud, Halle Bullook, and Anthony Carter. Loud is with the CIA, Bullook has experience as a member of the American Secret Service, and Carter is an FBI agent with experience in the US military. Not only have I chosen them for their credentials, but they were also handpicked to guard my successors, and thus are already party to some of my secrets."

He then locked his eyes onto Light's bewildered face.

"Finally, we have Light Yagami, a local high school student. Many of you already know he was taken hostage by Beyond shortly before we encountered one another at Tsukiji fish market, but I also called him in because of his intelligence and the courage he exhibited during his ordeal, as well as his close connections to the SIS-L Japan Branch and Beyond Birthday himself."

He picked up a red piece of candy.

"As to where I've been and the current status of the SIS-L investigations, first we should go back to the beginning. The SIS-L was formed when I abandoned a case in France late last year and didn't follow up with Watari. Beyond Birthday broke out of prison and led me to pursue some information concerning Watari's operations. I verified everything Beyond told me, and I…"

L's face hardened, perking up everyone's ears.

"…Well, as a result, I exhibited some poor judgment, including involving Misora once again. My actions further led Watari to believe that I was no longer fit to play the role of 'L', and he tried to force me into retirement."

Both Naomi and Light balked at L's words. He may have been telling the truth, per se, but he was still sugarcoating the severity of the situation.

Or was it for the sake of his successors?

Even with that watered-down account, they still looked terribly stricken, especially the one called Mello.

"With the help of Beyond, Aiber, Wedy, and Yagami-kun, I was able to escape that predicament and return to Japan. I chose this place because, despite the events that took place here, it would have been less conspicuous than Los Angeles or England. Also, SIS-L activity is fairly low here, and I've come and stayed here frequently enough to establish a stable base of operations."

He slowly unwrapped the candy ball, but was interrupted in mid-twist.

"Chose this place for what?" Light demanded abruptly.

L looked up at him, not quite a glare, but not quite surprised.

"Contrary to Watari's wishes, I still feel a commitment to solving cases and continuing to serve those who work in the field of criminal justice. However, I'm also aware I can no longer present myself to the world as 'L'."

He popped the candy in his mouth.

"So, in light of his actions, I've decided to exclude Watari from my life and create a new identity for myself, as well as a new investigative team. Aiber, please hand me my laptop."

Aiber reached over and pushed a pearl-white laptop across the coffee table. L leaned over, flipped it open and turned it around so everyone could see the screen.

In the center of a gray backdrop, a white "1" cut vertically through the edges of a black "2", almost forming the shape of the letter "L".

"Twelve was the number Beyond used in his riddles to refer to my name, but it will also refer to the number of people in our group and our group's overall name, as well as the code names I will be assigning to everyone," L explained. "I admit, I received part of my inspiration from Beyond, but he's borrowed so much from my own methodology, I figured I could be allowed to do the same."

Aiber's eyes furrowed, and his eyes darted around as he made a quick head count.

"Wait a minute. There's _eleven_ of us in here, not twelve."

"...The twelfth person is Misora's fiancé."

Naomi's head shot up, and L returned the glance.

"I had every intention to include Penber in my plans. He was also heavily involved with the SIS-L's activities, as well as being an FBI agent who had yet to retire or quit. From what Misora told me about him, I think I would have appreciated his grounded attitude and conventional methods and considered them valuable traits in our group. Therefore, even though he has died, I still consider him a member of this team."

Then he spoke to Naomi personally.

"Though we'll be dealing with many important objectives in the next few weeks, getting to the bottom of the mafia shootout in Los Angeles will be one of our topmost priorities. Whatever the circumstances were that led to it, in the long run it happened as a result of the choices I took months ago, and as was the case with Beyond, I have every intention to finish whatever I started, deliberate or not. I'd also like for you to become my new second-in-command since Watari will no longer be with me. It is the least I can do in exchange for your cooperation all these years."

Naomi swallowed a lump in her throat, unsure of whether she should let herself cry in a room full of strangers, but she never expected such a gracious gesture from the eccentric detective.

He was no longer hiding on the chessboard, no longer a mere experiment.

He really was human.

Left with no other recourse, she let her emotions get the better of her and caught L in an embrace, a few tears streaming down her face.

"Thank you, Ryuuzaki."

"…You can call me 'L', if you'd like."

(End Chapter 39)

Author's After Note: The woman getting off the fourteenth floor and going to the twenty-third was pretty much a foreshadowing of what L asks Naomi to do at the end of the chapter, but I'm sure at this point I didn't have to tell you that. Also, the hotel room number is a hint on one of the new characters I'll be introducing in the next chapter…(sly grin)


	40. Pisces and Scorpio

Title: Silent Consonant

By: Dr. Kim-chan

Author's Note: So we're at the fortieth chapter with a major subplot cleared—how convenient. But there are many more hurdles to come. _Many._

However, FF (dot) Net failed me once again, and I have no idea how many people actually _read _Chapter 39 in the first five days after I put it up. On top of that, when I recently went to preview a couple of chapters, I saw that the symbols I was using for page breaks were no longer showing up, so I had to export all 39 chapters and edit them. Also, the obligatory apology for the late update. (shrugs) Anime conventions: what're you gonna do?

But now I'm in Virginia for an unspecified amount of time, so having some time away from various obligations should keep this story rolling for a while. Nothing like typing up fanfiction when you're less than 20 miles from a beach...

* * *

"Get a good score!"

"Good luck, Light! I know you'll do well!"

On the stoop of the Yagami household, Sachiko and Sayu were chanting encouraging slogans and frantically waving their arms around as Light crossed through the front gate on his way towards the city. The surrounding neighborhood was otherwise quiet, but given the time and season, there weren't many people at home to wonder why Light's mother and sister were sending him off to the To-Oh University examinations with the enthusiasm of a family sending a loved one off to fight in a war. Even Soichiro had offered some encouraging words before going off to work early that morning.

And probably rightly so. They had all the confidence in Light's intelligence and all the time he'd put into studying, but getting into any college, let alone one as highly accredited as To-Oh University, was an extremely grueling and competitive experience.

Even Light wasn't completely confident this morning.

After all, he'd had other obligations for the past two months.

_Riiiiiiiinng…_

Startled at first, Light quickly regained his wits and narrowed down the list of people who'd be calling him this early in the morning. Taking a small peek over his shoulder, not until he turned the next corner did he take out his cell phone.

Unknown number.

Again.

"Hello?"

"_Scorpio One. Number?_"

"…Pisces One," Light whispered.

"_Where are you at the moment?_"

"I'm on my way to To-Oh. I'm taking my university exam this morning," Light muttered. "So whatever you want me to do, it'll have to wait until after I'm done."

"_That's all right. Aquarius Two, Scorpio Two, and Aquarius Three just returned from Los Angeles earlier this morning—they should be getting back into the city in about an hour or two—and I'm waiting for Cancer One to finish up some remaining business as well._"

"So what's going on?"

"_It isn't particularly urgent; we just accepted a new case last night and I want all members to be briefed, so please come by the hotel as soon as you can._"

The person on the other end of the line hung up.

L.

That's what he'd prefer to call him; it'd be so simple.

But despite the noble purpose of its leader, Twelve was a group that found necessity in anonymity and secret names.

And so, for the past two months, Light Yagami had also assumed a second identity.

Pisces One.

Breathing deeply, he began walking towards the nearest train station.

* * *

"_Obviously, with so many people in our group, even this suite cannot accommodate all of us _and_ everything we'll need to carry out our subsequent investigations. Fortunately, I prepared for this."_

_L gestured to Aiber again, who promptly passed out little white envelopes containing key cards in the order of the detective's next set of instructions._

"_This room will serve as our main base of operations, as well as my personal suite. Room 1302 is reserved for Misora. Room 1303 is for Near, Mello, and Matt. Loud and Carter will be next door in Room 1304, while Bullook will be in Room 1305 across the hall. Aiber and Wedy have Rooms 1306 and 1307, respectively. Yagami-kun, since you live nearby and have the most inconspicuous daily routine, you may come and go as you please…but just in case the need arises, you can take Room 1308."_

_L picked up what may have been his third piece of hard candy that night._

"_Finally, and most importantly, there's the matter of our code names. Like the name of the group, I took the initiative from Beyond Birthday, but I decided to assign them specifically based on experience, rank, birth date, and birth order. We can call each other by name within the base, but while we're out on the field, or need to confirm each other's identity, or if we're using a means of communication that could be easily traced, it's vital that we use these codes. I expect everyone to memorize their own and each other's."_

_Everyone nodded, and L's owl-like eyes began sweeping around the room as he assigned each member their aliases._

"_I am Scorpio One. Misora is Aquarius One. Near is Virgo One. Mello is Sagittarius One. Matt is Aquarius Two. Aiber is Cancer One. Wedy is Scorpio Two. Carter, you're Capricorn _Two_, out of respect for Penber, who would have been Capricorn One under different circumstances. Bullook is Aquarius Three, Loud is Virgo Two, and Yagami-kun is Pisces One. Understood?"_

_Again, everyone gave their assent, though the mention of using aliases unnerved some of Twelve's members, reminding them why they congregated in Japan in the first place._

"_Let's see…I suppose I can lay out our objectives and start the real work tomorrow; at this point I can't expect much use to come out of any further efforts we make tonight. And there are a few people I'd like to have a private discussion with first."_

_Unceremoniously, L dispatched everyone to their new rooms—a rare stroke of mercy for those who worked with him before and were used to his 'benevolent-slave-driver' work ethic._

_Everyone except Naomi._

_After Light tossed a curious glance over his shoulder and shut the door, Naomi exhaled loudly and moved to a seat closer to L. A chill washed over her as she realized this was the first time they'd seen each other since L's surrender at Tsukiji._

"_Seeing as how you now hold the most powerful position in this group next to me, aside from familiarizing you with the logistical and financial details of this new organization, there's something else I have to make clear before we begin. If it hasn't been made apparent enough already, you're the one I trust most now. I may have worked with Aiber and Wedy longer, but…it's not so much what they do for a living, but our values differ, and they haven't worked with me on as personal a level as you have. I suppose I must apologize for that, too."_

"_Apologize?"_

"_You asked me once why I chose you to assist me in the Wara Ningyo Murders, and my reply was that I preferred to work with those who didn't have anything to gain from me. I neglected to say that I find it equally abhorrent when the losses become too great to justify the aim. It undermines me and everything I've tried to accomplish."_

_L sent out a strong glare to no one in particular, then took a breath and unclenched his teeth._

"'_You always insist on winning, and for that, you will_ _lose.' Beyond said that to me before I left England, and at first I was tempted to write it off as another one of his cryptic lures, but…I must admit, I did lose. To say that my negotiations with Watari proved useless would be an understatement. At this point his only concern is the Elite Construction Project and eliminating anything or anyone that would compromise his work—hypocrisy at its worst."_

"_So it's true?"_

"_What is?"_

"_That…Watari…that he was the one who contacted the L.A. mafia."_

_Silence._

_With downcast eyes, L picked up a blue piece of candy, but after staring at it for a few seconds, he dropped it back into the bowl._

_

* * *

_

"Hello, Misora."

With L's borderline-deadpan voice, a greeting never did sound as cheery or welcoming as it should have coming from him, but after a trans-Pacific flight and trying to accomplish a dozen tasks while avoiding the eyes of the SIS-L, she'd take any familiar voice.

Room 1301 was milling with activity, as it had been for the past two months. Since Twelve's first official meeting, they gradually built up a reputation among high-profile clients needing a speedier resolution than what the police were willing to give. Most of them were local Japanese bigwigs, but with all their technological prowess (including a few new pieces of equipment), they also garnered a few overseas cases, two of which they already solved and were compensated handsomely for.

As Light reported offhandedly while doing some investigating of his own at home, a couple of online rumor mills and conspiracy aficionados were already talking about how "Twelve" was trying to take advantage of the SIS-L's situation and muscle in on L's territory.

However, L was far from outmatching his own reputation; neither had the SIS-L taken notice of them yet, and some scorned Twelve as copycats, shameless opportunists, or the _real _culprits behind L's disappearance (which had a delicious irony to it, L admitted).

But even with the slow going, L had apparently spent a lot of time appropriating all the necessary funds from the multiple accounts he and Watari established over the years in order to fund all the work he'd been doing under his own name. Only L, Naomi, and Aiber were privy to the fact that the amount in Twelve's reserve accounts ran up to the millions, though L's ability to book eight suites at once in one of Japan's most posh hotels spoke volumes on its own.

Some of that money had recently gone into Naomi's second trip to Los Angeles, this time accompanied by Wedy and Bullook. Other than settling a few personal matters of her own, including the question of what to do with Raye's body, she had to personally assess the current status of the SIS-L.

Before they could even think of cases, Twelve's first priority was literally handed to them by Beyond as news of the Brentwood Inn hostage situation flooded every media outlet. To the surprise of many, it wasn't nearly as exciting as they'd hoped: after requesting to speak to Watari using the desk clerk as a go-between, Beyond released the terrified cleaning lady before giving up his weapon and turning himself in. For all anyone knew, the mastermind behind the string of sensational crimes in relation to L's disappearance had finally been captured (albeit surprisingly quietly), and the SIS-L would soon dissolve, but L—as usual—didn't take the incident at face value.

After all this time avoiding Watari and cursing his name, why would he suddenly want to hold negotiations with him?

L would have formed Twelve regardless, but now more than ever, he felt as if he was stepping into another trap.

As if L losing his title and privilege was merely the precursor to something even worse.

Likewise, Twelve was merely the means to an end. While working on unrelated cases, they would collect evidence pertaining to Watari's actions, and eventually the group would gain enough clout to present everything (including L himself) to Interpol, putting an end to this once and for all. Exactly what L planned to do after that, including the question of what to do with the orphanage and the elite project, he still wasn't entirely sure.

But until the time came to cross that bridge, they'd deal with one case at a time.

"Hello, L," Naomi said, exhaustion creeping into her syllables. "You said we had a new case?"

"Yes, but we haven't briefed. Yagami-kun isn't here yet—"

With impeccable timing, the soon-to-be high school graduate walked into the room just before Bullook closed the door, a little red in the face.

"Oh. I see your exams didn't take long."

"I left as soon as I finished my last test. I haven't even been home yet," Light huffed, sidestepping around Bullook and taking a seat next to Aiber. "Fortunately the university's not too far from here…and now I'm considering taking Room 1308."

"Really…?" L muttered.

"It's hard enough going to high school, coming here for the afternoon, commuting back home, studying, finishing homework _and _my part of the group's workload in the evenings, and still have enough energy to not sleep in class. Most students move to dorms or apartments while they're in college anyway, so I'll tell my dad I found a place, then all there would be to do is commute. I'd just have to ask that no one visits; I'd still be close enough to see my family."

"I suppose that'd make things easier…but…"

Instantly Light's face screwed up. In the two months since they'd known each other, almost every time Light proposed a theory on a case or a plan of action, L initially agreed…with the exception of a hesitant…troublesome…_maddening_ 'but'.

"…you do realize this would also minimize contact with your father, and until Watari gives the word, he's still leader of the SIS-L Japan Branch. Aside from Beyond's arrest and Misora's trips to Los Angeles, there's still some information we need to collect, especially on the incidents that occurred here."

"Well, considering that you _started_ half those incidents, there's not much room for objectivity in this particular case. And I could just as easily hack into the NPA database from here. Wouldn't that raise a lot less suspicion than staying home and asking my dad a lot of intrusive questions?"

"Yes, which also suggests there's a difference between putting the straight facts into a computer and the subjective opinions and personal experience of the investigators involved, not least of which is that legalities often force people to gloss over what could have otherwise been vital clues. Even in courts, both witness statements and physical evidence make for a stronger argument. Whether one is more reliable on the other doesn't matter, and often depends on the individual case."

"But that also depends on the credibility of the witnesses themselves. Frankly, if I didn't know why you made Misora act as Mitsuko Ona, I'd take Watari's word over yours."

Total silence—except for Aiber stifling a chuckle as he looked over a few papers. The little squabbles between the student and detective were nothing new, though many wondered why they insisted on drawing each other into intense debates. Knowing L, he was most likely testing Light to see if he was worth keeping in the group for reasons other than his connection to Beyond Birthday. After all, for all his intelligence, Light still seemed a little out of his league compared to trained successors and former government agents.

L sighed and took a sip from a cold and sugar-saturated cup of coffee.

"Like I said, it depends on the case."

Spoken with the tone of a parent agreeing with their child just to keep the peace, L's curt reply effectively ended the argument.

More or less.

"Regardless, I'm moving into 1308 after I'm accepted to To-Oh," Light said coldly.

"...Then I'll arrange for your belongings to be moved."

The raven-haired detective put his coffee cup down, the clatter cutting through the ambiance of the hotel suite like a chainsaw in dire need of oiling.

"Now that everyone's here, we can begin the briefing. We've just been called to investigate a possible embezzlement within a local corporation dealing in multiple services, mainly banking, housing, and consumer goods. The client estimates the losses to be somewhere around 3.6 billion yen, or approximately forty million dollars."

"They're being gypped out of that much money and they're just now noticing? Whoever it is knows how to cover their tracks," Wedy remarked.

"That's exactly their concern. The client also suspects there's more than one person involved, and that they're all higher-ups. The main reason he contacted us is because he knows calling in the police would not only scare off the culprit, but upset the entire organization, not to mention his own position would be in jeopardy."

"So are we meeting with him at all?" Loud asked.

"He's agreed to meet with one of us in person, at a location of his choosing. I've decided to send Bullook; out of all of us, I believe she'd be more able to put him at ease while getting as much data as possible."

"And our cut?" Aiber probed.

"The exact amount will be decided upon after Bullook meets with him, but he said he's willing to give us at least half of the total amount that was taken from the company."

Aiber let out a jovial whistle.

"If I'd have known the detective business was so lucrative, I'd have gone straight a lot sooner," he muttered under his breath.

"I'm assigning Bullook, Wedy, and Loud to this case. Mello, Matt, Near, please continue with going over the evidence from the rest of our local cases and the ones in America, Taiwan, and Germany. Carter, assist my successors if needed. Aiber—"

"I'm off to Hong Kong tomorrow," he drawled, smirking. "Right…but...you're sure they won't be looking for me there?"

Aiber was alluding to the other piece of news they caught after Beyond's arrest. In apparent desperation, in response to L's escape from Broadmoor Hospital, Watari had given the British government _carte blanche _to seek out Aiber and Wedy, even going so far as to dig into their old criminal records and give out their real names. With some of the remaining resources Interpol wasn't using for the SIS-L, England had a wide-spanning dragnet out in hopes of catching them. Even if Aiber and Wedy had a mind to leave Twelve, going back to their homes was a dangerous thought.

"It's true that they'd want to cover their bases, but I don't think they expected you to have gone very far, and Hong Kong would be a complete shot in the dark. Even so, you'll only be gone for a few days to close up our business with Suen. Yagami-kun…"

Light looked up at him, a lot more calmer than he had been a few minutes ago.

"Has there been any new word on Beyond or Watari?"

"It looks like Watari's in Europe right now. Beyond's still being held at California State Prison, and they're still deadlocked at Interpol. On top of sifting through all the evidence, the American and Japanese delegates are trying to decide where his trial will take place, or whether the case should be taken all the way to international court. Beyond hasn't been making it any easier, either; he's tying up the proceedings further by claiming all kinds of things about what he's done...or _hasn't_ done. And I still haven't found any record of any conversation Beyond and Watari might have had during the Brentwood Inn hostage situation. I'm starting to think Watari's been keeping that to himself for some reason."

Light crossed his arms, the angles of his face changing.

"Anyway, as I said, so far they've dismissed Beyond's claims as delay tactics and gone on with trying to build the case, but two days ago Beyond made another claim…and this time Watari personally asked Interpol to hold off on proceedings until he was able to fly back to California."

The room went quiet. Even the sound of fingers tapping on keyboards ceased as Near and Mello turned to face the solemn-faced teenager.

"What did he say this time?" Naomi asked.

"…'He killed L'."

(End Chapter 40)


	41. Assistance

Title: Silent Consonant

By: Dr. Kim-chan

Author's Note: I'm just now noticing how long it's been since I've done a birthday roll call. Last one was…(looks)…March? Oh boy. Let's sum this up quick:

April = Rod Ross on the 13th (Beyond would have appreciated that birth date); Roger Ruvie (who may or may not be a bad guy in this story) on the 29th; Demegawa on the 4th

May = Aizawa (probably the one task force member with the most character development) on the 11th; Watari (which I'm sure almost no one reading this likes right now) on the 1st

June = Sayu on the 18th; Mikami (no clue about him yet) on the 7th; Higuchi (the Yotsuba Kira) on the 6th

Actually, it seems the majority of Death Note birthdays are in July. Wonder what that means...

And speaking of Higuchi…

EDIT: Did a little editing in the conversation between Bullook and Namikawa. Now it should make a little more sense...

* * *

"…_There's been a development."_

_The stadium-like conference room fell into silence as the members of Interpol automatically turned their heads en masse to face Watari._

_Up until now, and for the past several weeks, he'd been standing off to the side as the organization's president led an increasingly heated debate over whether or not Beyond Birthday should be extradited to Japan or America for trial, or be tried in an _ad hoc _international court._

_So far, each side presented valid reasons. Japan wanted him almost solely on the basis of Light Yagami's kidnapping; surely kidnapping the son of a top police official and threatening the entire SIS-L was akin to terrorism, not to mention attempted murder and possession of a gun in a country with strict gun control laws. America wanted him not only for his original crimes of murder, but for breaking out of prison, threatening American citizens (Misora and Penber) on foreign AND native soil, the hostage situation at Brentwood Inn, the (presumed) murder of Raye Penber, and his possible involvement with the local mafia and the recent disappearances of agents Anthony Carter, Halle Bullook, and Stephen Loud._

_Those who advocated international court pointed right back at Japan's reason, claiming that the threat on the SIS-L had simultaneously been a threat to the world. Also, not only was L an international figure himself, but new evidence had come to light that Beyond also—albeit briefly—crossed into Italy, England, and South Korea in order to commit his crimes, and France was still demanding confirmation on whether Beyond had entered the country and whether he had anything to do with manipulating the DGSE's data._

_Either way, Beyond had proven to be a lot more dangerous than they first thought, and he had to be dealt with immediately. Already he was trying to manipulate their proceedings—for the past few weeks, from his new cell in the Security Housing Units of Corcoran State Prison, he used the guards to relay tidbits of information about his involvement in the case…if they could even be called tidbits. One week he claimed L 'kidnapped himself', another week he coyly mentioned that he had more info on Misora (who had also gone missing again), and yet another week he vehemently argued his innocence. Each potential breakthrough halted the proceedings for a few days, and then everyone's ire would be raised again._

_So it was no surprise that when Watari took over the podium, most of the representatives looked as if they wanted to do nothing more than throw their water glasses at him._

"_I've been told by officials at the state prison in Corcoran, California, that the accused in question, Beyond Birthday, has offered another piece of information relating to the case—"_

"_That's been his story for the past eight weeks!" France's rep cried out, obviously irritated at the interruption._

"_But we can never rule out whether or not he's being serious, which makes it even more of a danger if we choose to ignore him. We have to look into his claims regardless of how he conveys them. May I remind you that the overall investigation isn't over, especially in light of the recent events," the rep from South Korea said._

"_But that's exactly the point! All the leads he's given us thus far have been merely vacuous. Baseless! He's just trying to delay us. What's next, he'll claim he was broken out of prison and hired by the _American_ mafia to go all the way to _France_ and kidnap L?"_

"_A rather tasteless joke, don't you think?" Chile's rep muttered._

"_Tasteless or not, the fact still stands that Beyond Birthday seems to be a rather unstable individual. His goals are clear, but his methods are rather scattershot and shortsighted. I'd even go so far as to question whether he's even psychologically fit to stand trial—in America _or _Japan."_

_At the Switzerland rep's offhand comment, the prospect of yet another monkey wrench being thrown into Interpol's plans riled up at least half the room._

"'_Psychologically fit'? He masterminded the kidnapping of three people across two, maybe even _three _different countries, killed four people and critically injured one with full knowledge of what he was doing, and used every means at hand to eradicate the SIS-L and elude capture! Intellectual capacity _certainly_ can't be at a premium with this man!" the American representative shouted._

"_Then how would you classify his recent behavior?" Germany asked coolly._

"_Maliciousness," the American rep spat out in one word. "He wouldn't be trying so hard if he wasn't aware of the slightest possibility that he might get the death penalty when all this is said and done. Obviously life in prison wasn't enough."_

_The thought of capital punishment quickly sobered up the congregation, allowing for a rare opening in which Watari could enter._

"_Quite a serious proposition, sir," he said. "Unfortunately, we may be looking at that exact possibility."_

_Total silence._

"_The message given to us from him was predictably terse, yes, and he has misled us in the past, but I would not have brought it up if not for the fact it is his most serious accusation up to date."_

_Everyone hung on his words._

"…_He claims that we will never find L—or any of the missing persons involved in this case, for that matter—because 'he' killed them."_

_

* * *

_

L stared intently at two different screens on his laptop monitor, both of them showing live feed from two different locations.

The first showed the lobby of the hotel where Twelve had been keeping base; Wedy's ingenuity had gained them this favorable connection to the hotel's surveillance network, for practical and worst-case-scenario reasons. The second view was of an empty suite: Room 1814, a few floors up.

But it wouldn't be empty for long.

In the lobby, Bullook sat in one of the lounge chairs, her typical conservative dress bordering on the glamorous, her makeup toned down but not entirely absent from her face. This wasn't because of L's instructions; Bullook was all too familiar with the subtleties involved in confidential meetings, particularly appearance and body language. This was what warmed L up to her and the two other agents: they didn't need to be told about the little things. Just give them the basic overview and they'd run with it.

After Bullook's short conversation with their new client last night, they agreed to meet at the hotel later the following evening; L booked another room for the night, and Wedy, Matt, and Loud bugged it thoroughly so the team could monitor the entire conversation and get a preemptive assessment of the task ahead of them.

Aside from L, the only others watching were Wedy, Mello, Loud, and Naomi. On the other side of the room, Matt, Near and Carter were finishing up reports on two other cases. Despite it being the last week of school, Light had already gone home for the night, and Aiber was already away in Hong Kong.

Tense, Naomi glanced down at the clock on the laptop taskbar.

12:03.

* * *

12:04.

Bullook took her eyes off of her wristwatch just in time to see a dark-haired man walk through the door, two identical forelocks trailing down the sides of his head. Just like his suit, his face was without wrinkle or blemish.

_Kind of young for an executive_, the former agent critiqued, though she herself got into the Secret Service by sheer hard work.

As hoped, the man took notice of her, and she immediately stood up.

"Good evening. I take it you're the one I spoke with the other night."

"Yes."

"We can introduce ourselves once we get up to the suite," Bullook said, turning around and leading him towards the elevator bank. "As you probably already know, our organization's rather…_meticulous _when it comes to taking precautions."

* * *

"They're getting in the elevator," Naomi mumbled.

"He looks young. Can't be older than thirty. Not bad for an executive," Wedy added. "And he's prompt. He showed up ten minutes early."

"Probably didn't want to get caught by his co-workers," Mello said dryly.

"He doesn't _look_ nervous, though," Loud said. "You could tell by his body and the way he walked in. He didn't look over his shoulder even once since he entered the lobby. And it didn't take him that long to find Bullook."

"Overconfidence, then?"

"Maybe," L piped up. "We can't make any judgments yet…"

* * *

Without being too obvious, Bullook made a quick sweep of Room 1814, making sure to offer the young executive a seat in full view of the hidden cameras and within range of the audio equipment.

"Now then," she breathed, her expression nearly inscrutable. "For the time being, you can call me Nine."

"'Nine'?"

"Like I said, our organization firmly believes in confidentiality—for us. Of course we'll need to know who _you _are, and I'm guessing both you and your company are rather well-known and respected; otherwise you wouldn't have hired us. That said…"

Bullook left the sentence open-ended, giving him the opportunity to introduce himself. Every bit the professional he appeared to be, the dark-haired man took his cue.

"I expected as much," he said quietly, a wry smirk on his face. "My name's Reiji Namikawa, Vice President of Sales to the Yotsuba Corporation."

"Ah. Well, Mr. Namikawa, you said you were concerned about a major embezzling scheme within the corporation?"

"Yes, and since our last conversation, my suspicions have changed."

"How so?"

"I'm still certain about who's involved, but now I think there's blackmail being used against our rival companies as well—but like I told you yesterday, the reason I can't just step up and call them out is the exact same reason why they've been able to get away with it so far. There's at least eight VPs who are only one quick move away from being promoted, myself included, and I'm too enmeshed with the people involved to come away entirely unscathed without some discrete use of a third party like you."

He sat up in the chair, hands folded.

"That said, I guess it's only fair to ask if I'm doing this just so I look better."

"I won't. If you were looking for accolades, you wouldn't be asking for anonymity."

Namikawa chuckled.

"I suppose that's reason enough—that and tearing down your own company from the inside out isn't as rewarding as it sounds. Even on the off-chance that I do become president of Yotsuba when all this is over, there'll still be those who'll think badly of me. And it's not just me who's getting involved. I also think it'd be a waste of time. I've gotten this far in my career in less than ten years; I have better ways to get to the top than turning into some low-class informant. I'd expect that kind of behavior from the embezzlers."

_Young _and _smart_, Bullook noted.

"Speaking of which, who exactly _do _you suspect?" she asked.

"So far, two people. The first is Kyosuke Higuchi, Head of Tech Development. The other's Arayoshi Hatori, who's the Vice President of Marketing…and for what it's worth, if it IS them, I'm sure Higuchi's the mastermind. He may be rash, but Hatori isn't exactly what you would call a self-motivator; he happens to be the current president's illegitimate son."

"The president's son? Sounds like he already has everything within reach."

"One would think so, but the president put Hatori there just to keep it hush-hush so the company and its reputation could move along unhindered," Namikawa explained, his smile now strained. "Hatori gets the occasional gift now and then, but no special treatment. He's already been cited once for misconduct, and it was made quite clear that he keep his hands out of the company pot. Otherwise he'd be on his own."

"When did this start?"

"This I have to give them credit for, at least. The money wasn't taken out all at once, not even over a course of a few months. This had to be going on for at least two years or more, never near the end of the fiscal year. They're picking and choosing their sources at random, most of them minor accounts or specific sectors even I don't have too much hands-on control over. I just happened to catch it because they got careless and cut off their supply lines a little too close to this fiscal year. In fact…"

One hand suddenly dove into an inner pocket in his jacket, took out a slim bundle of CDs in jewel cases, and set them on the table in front of Bullook.

"I've been able to get the support of a couple of my associates: Shingo Mido, who's the VP of Corporate Strategy and the Director of Financial Planning, and Suguru Shimura, Head of Personnel. This is courtesy of Mido. They're Yotsuba's records of sales, salaries, expenses, lists of stocks, investments, and general account data over the past couple of years compared with our averages. We figured that'd be as good a start as any."

"…You certainly came prepared. I'm starting to think you don't need our services after all."

"Well, this was pretty much all we could do. We don't know how or where they're hiding the stolen money, we don't know exactly what they're spending it on, and we don't know if anyone else is involved. I'm even starting to doubt that Hatori has anything to do with this at all. He may be a vice president, but he has the mentality of a child, and most children don't like the idea of punishment, even after the fact."

"Then there's the blackmailing?"

"Yes. After holding negotiations with a couple of rival banking companies for months, all of a sudden two of them started to comply. 'Just a matter of time until they cracked', Higuchi said."

Namikawa reclined in his seat, his face stony for the first time since the meeting began.

"But it takes force to crack something."

* * *

The halls of the Security Housing Units were calm.

Maybe too much so.

It was said of this area and the Protective Housing Unit at this prison that it was calm because the prisoners here would rather be left alone than interact with others; some of the deeds they did in their past transcended "normal" criminal behavior. They were given little contact except with the guards, and their cells were rather sad affairs.

Despite the unsettling atmosphere, Watari moved on, flanked by a couple of guards, eyes forward. Ahead, two more guards were waiting in front of one marked cell at the end of the hall. This was excessive even for this area of the prison, but aside from the importance of Watari, there was the importance of Beyond himself.

Corcoran never held a prisoner like him before. Someone not only wanted by the state of California, but over half the world.

The sight itself, however, was underwhelming.

Beyond sat perched on the edge of the neatly-made cot, a little agitated by the lack of sugar, but otherwise appearing serene. Since his first incarceration, some of the burns on his face had healed fairly well, and some of his hair and eyebrows had grown back; now it was more a matter of discoloration and deep valleys running along patches of his skin and face.

He looked up at the sound of footsteps and smirked.

"So you received my message."

"My only concern here is whether that message is actually credible. You've already attempted to prevent Interpol from setting up a proper court for your trial, but we are already close to reaching a decision. Any more of your games at this point would be fruitless."

That was a bluff, and Beyond knew it. Half the guards jumped as Beyond let out a deep cackle, the sound echoing throughout the once-quiet Security Housing Units.

"You wouldn't have rushed over here if you hadn't already accumulated enough definitive evidence to formally charge me. Besides that, none of you know what happened to L, Misora, or those three agents. That wouldn't hold up even in international court."

Beyond's grin widened, and his eyes narrowed, as if to add, "_Of course, it's not just them that's missing, and we both know what you _really_ did, but we'll keep that between us, won't we?_"

"Besides, I'm done playing games. I apologize for the delay, but I just wanted to give L enough time to prepare."

"'Enough time'? What are you talking about? You said 'he' killed him."

"And by 'he' I meant L, but of course not in the literal sense. We both know L isn't the type of person to go to such lengths, no matter what anyone does to him."

_And by 'anyone', I mean _you, Beyond's eyes said.

"We also know that while L does tend to pull out the surprises every once in a while, in the end he's quite predictable. I know where he is, what he's doing, with whom, and what he hopes to accomplish. Of course this would mean another delay on Interpol's part, but it's your decision to make. Angry delegates, or total ruin."

(End Chapter 41)


	42. Going Under

Title: Silent Consonant

By: Dr. Kim-chan

Author's Note: Sorry for the delay. Things have happened. (sigh)

But anyway, so as you can see, I brought back the Yotsuba Eight. As usual, I couldn't help but see the potential in side/minor characters. (Doesn't hurt that Namikawa's one of my favorites, either.) Also, I don't like the idea of "stock characters", as Ohba and Obata referred to them; every character in a story should be there to do _something _interesting, otherwise they're just wasting space. I don't know how anyone else felt about the Yotsuba Arc, but to me it felt like I waited over 5 episodes (or about two manga volumes) just for Light to say "Gotcha now, L!"

I'd also like to thank Akira no Kitsune, timydamonkey, and skyflyte12 for adding this story to their respective Archives: "Akira's Compilation of Outstanding Fanfics", "Reading Between the Lines", and "Just That Good". Thank you for the addition!

Finally, the birthday roll call for July (which also brings us full-circle since I started this little tradition last August): NPA chief Soichiro Yagami (12th), gentle giant Kanzo Mogi (also the 12th), queen bee Kiyomi Takada (again the 12th…I don't get it either), master con artist Aiber (17th), and paranoid Yotsuba exec Suguru Shimura (21st), whom you'll see now…

And since the writing of this chapter, my birthday also rolled around again. 22 years old...yikes.

* * *

Namikawa stepped into the bar, squinting his eyes to get a better view of the few well-dressed patrons sitting in it.

He'd noticed this strange pattern as soon as his position as a Yotsuba executive introduced him to all the privileges of high society. For whatever reason, no matter how upscale they were, most bars, restaurants, and lounges felt it appropriate to keep open their establishments with barely enough indoor lighting to read the wine list, day _or_ night. It was certainly brighter than the bars and clubs some of his other colleagues liked to frequent, but then again, those places were usually a little less than reputable, in out-of-the-way neighborhoods within the rowdier districts of Ikebukuro and Shinjuku, better suited for a younger clientele.

Maybe the cost-to-ambiance ratio was a more exact science than he thought.

He took a few more steps into the bar before he spotted a mop of dark hair and a soft glare coming from a pair of spectacles.

Mido and Shimura.

And fortunately, no one else.

"Hope this wasn't too late of a time for us to meet," Namikawa apologized, sliding into an empty space in the booth.

"Well, we've all worked late at the office at some point," Mido waved off. "To be honest, I'm too keyed up to be tired. All this sneaking around…"

"It's for a good purpose, I guess," Shimura muttered, though the slight quaver in his voice made Namikawa raise an eyebrow. "The sooner we get to the bottom of this, the better."

Everyone nodded in agreement, and when a waiter arrived, Namikawa quickly ordered a drink before the group resumed their discussion.

"So how did it go?" Mido asked.

"Better than I thought it would. At first I thought it'd be some kind of back-alley business, especially after what's been going on with that other world-renowned detective, but I ended up meeting them in person at a hotel near the Minato district—well, 'her', not 'them'. Only one person met with me…a woman called Nine."

"'Nine'?"

"Of course that wasn't her real name. Confidentiality reasons, they said. Most likely she was a representative sent on behalf of the group. As we arranged, I gave them the data Mido was able to get, so now it's in their hands. They'll contact me again once they come up with any more leads."

Namikawa smirked.

"I also took the opportunity to name the both of you as my accomplices."

"What?" Shimura exclaimed.

"I wanted Miss Nine to be able to contact more than one person; that way, if Higuchi ever caught on to one of us, the other two could divert his attention so we can continue collecting evidence. Besides, at this point there's no going back. If Yotsuba's going to have any chance of moving up in the world, we can't tolerate traitors and thieves."

Mido nodded solemnly, already aware of the severity of the situation, but Shimura started to break out in a cold sweat.

"But wouldn't this be considered betrayal as well?" Shimura blurted out, partly an attempt at a cynical joke. "Out of all of us, only Ooi's been with the corporation longer than Higuchi. Even if he's caught and the money's somehow recovered, every department head and executive will be in for a rough ride. Not to mention Yotsuba's reputation might not be able to bounce back after this."

"Then I suppose the question here is whether you want to risk a slight scratch to our image or let us go bankrupt," Mido said coldly, making Shimura flinch.

"Of course not! It's just—"

"Look, I don't like the prospect of Yotsuba being upended as much as you do, and if they're desperate enough, our very lives might be in danger. However, Higuchi and Hatori—and whomever else may be involved in this scheme—forfeited the right to be called colleagues when that three billion yen went missing from our accounts. Don't forget, I'm responsible for the company's financial planning and Namikawa's in charge of sales. Whichever way this develops, we'll still be to blame."

"Which reminds me, Shimura—why the sudden change of heart? I'm sure we made it clear how high the stakes were going to be, so when Mido told me last night that you wanted to get involved…"

"Well, the way he laid it all out just now…I guess I couldn't stand by and let this happen, either. Then there's that memo we received today."

"What memo?"

"Shimura told me about it when we arrived here," Mido explained. "It was distributed around the offices after the two of us left to prepare for the meeting with Twelve. Apparently the president just got wind of our most recent losses."

"Well, that was bound to happen," Namikawa sighed.

"I don't know if we should consider it fortunate or unfortunate, but either because he doesn't want to admit it or because Higuchi covered his tracks too well, he simply thinks we're suffering from a downturn in sales. He's called all the executives for a mandatory meeting tomorrow, but I'm sure we can all guess how it'll end up. Either we'll have to boost our sales somewhere else, or there'll be some heavy-handed measures taken. Demotions, salary cuts…take your pick," Shimura muttered.

"And no doubt the culprits will try to champion a recovery plan to make themselves look good."

"Then all we can do now is wait."

Namikawa raised his glass, and after trying to discern whether he was joking or being serious, Mido and Shimura reluctantly followed suit.

"To the future of Yotsuba…and our new associate, Twelve."

* * *

"Wedy, have you looked over the gross margins for 2003 yet?"

"I'm on the last few columns now, but it doesn't take you to notice how their profits have gone down since 1999," she said, sounding almost bored. "There's a brief spike in the 2001-2002 period, but then the numbers take another dive. It'd look like any other financial roller coaster in any typical company, especially considering what's happened to this country's economy in the past decade, but the rise is too sudden for one year."

"And why is there a spike in the first place?" Loud muttered, going over some of the same data on his laptop.

"Maybe it was a diversion," Naomi wondered aloud, returning from the hotel room's kitchen with two mugs of coffee. "They didn't want the drop to be too noticeable, or maybe they almost got caught, so they stopped. Then once the coast was clear, they started taking money out again."

"Also, two years before, in 1997, Yotsuba opened five new banks in the Kansai region. Looking at the evidence so far, I doubt the embezzlers are capable of thinking too far into the future, but for argument's sake, let's say they are, and let's also say they waited until those banks opened before they instigated their plan," L said, taking one of the mugs from Naomi and dropping in one sugar cube for every three words he spoke. "Thank you, Misora—that way they could blame their losses on the failure of the banks if needed, and as we saw on the reports on the third disc, three of those branches _did_ go under by early 2000. Otherwise it was simply luck. Personally, I'd give it a sixty-three percent chance."

"More like a hundred percent," Bullook muttered. "If they were really that clever, three of their colleagues wouldn't be on their tail to begin with. But…what concerns me is that Namikawa doesn't look like a man who'd have someone else do their dirty work for him."

"No…he's _exactly _that type of person."

L took a sip of his unbelievably thick coffee.

"I'm not judging his character," he added after evaluating the rest of the team's stares. "I'm simply saying that from what we've seen so far, he's a think-first, act-later kind of person. What's more, he also knows how to negotiate, and he has no patience for incompetence. He's calculating, but he makes it look effortless. Like you said, I'm sure he could've done all this on his own. Hiring us was mere insurance."

"Lovely," Wedy said sardonically. "So it's basically this: we figure out if this Higuchi guy's really the mastermind, see if he has any other accomplices, find out how they took the money and from where, how they're spending the money, sniff out the proof, then deliver everything in a neat little bundle to the local police—"

"And I also want to keep an eye on Namikawa."

L's second interruption once again rendered the room silent.

"Bullook, you said he mentioned two others who were working with him, correct?"

The blonde agent nodded. "Yeah. Shingo Mido and Suguru Shimura."

"I want to monitor Namikawa for two reasons. The first is for his own safety. Whether he's aware of it or not, having such close allies could be a liability as well as an asset. They could be spying on him for all we know, but again, Namikawa's the careful type. He may have thrown their names out for that exact reason."

"More insurance?"

"Possibly. And the second reason is—"

"You don't trust Namikawa, either."

Now sitting adjacent to him, Naomi uncrossed her arms and stared her messy-haired superior right in the eyes.

"Like we expected anything else. If anyone learns anything about you, L, it's that you never trust anyone completely," she added. "Maybe ninety-eight or ninety-nine percent, but never completely. Not that I don't understand why, especially after that stunt Watari pulled, but…"

To the others' surprise, L looked neither offended nor indifferent. Instead, his stooped shoulders sagged even further, his eyelids drooping.

"I was hoping I would eventually overcome that. Yes, there are certain things no one can know about me, but obviously what I've been doing hasn't been working, otherwise we wouldn't be here. I think I've come to understand that only when I have implicit trust in someone can I truly separate friend from enemy…have I really not changed, Misora?"

"Weren't you the one who told me experiments couldn't change?"

"That was before I began to realize how valuable of an experiment I was."

* * *

_Riiiiing…_

"_Hello?_"

"Virgo One. Number?"

"_Pisces One._"

"Aquarius Two has already established the remote network. Are you logged on yet?"

Keeping the phone pressed to his ear, Near looked at Matt out of the corner of his eye. Laid across the foot of one of the hotel room's beds, the redhead calmly clicked through a few links, double-checking that he had access to Twelve's private network. At the writing table on the other side of the room, Mello was on another laptop, laboriously typing out all the necessary addresses and passwords. Meanwhile, Light was in his room, working on a laptop provided for him for this specific purpose.

For all intents and purposes, each member of the group could communicate with one another and work on cases simultaneously by accessing a database where all relevant information was kept. Some places only certain members could get into, only Naomi and his successors had a direct link to L's personal laptop, and not even they had full access to all the data he kept in there.

Hopefully this plan would change that.

A plan over a month in the making.

"Got the hotel's signal, and I'm getting his too," Matt whispered, just as Light reported that he was ready on his end. "Ready, Mel?"

"Almost…are you _sure_ Bullook secured the computers in Los Angeles before she left?"

"Yeah. You just need to put in the access code. Don't specify an administrator, though; the code will take care of it."

Another moment of fierce typing, and Mello announced the long-awaited breakthrough.

"Everyone's connected," Near told Light. "Start bridging your connection."

A pause.

"_Okay, they're bridged._"

"All set," Matt reported. "It might take a while to get through the first set of firewalls, though..."

As everyone else went to work, Near continued cradling the phone in his hand, adequately prepared for the worst, but—much to his own surprise—hoping for the best.

Though…there really wouldn't be a winner in this situation.

There were too many unanswered questions, too many questions they were reluctant to find the answers to.

If Beyond hated L so much, why did it seem as if Beyond was helping L? And what had he been trying to tell the three of them with those clues?

Why did L kidnap Misora and make her pretend to be Mitsuko Ona?

Why hadn't there been anything else said or investigated in relation to the mafia shootout? Who really _was _behind that shootout?

Did Watari really have to go so far as to try and put L in a mental hospital just to coerce him into retirement, and why hadn't Interpol or the SIS-L been informed about it?

Why the creation of Twelve?

And most importantly…

Why did Wedy and Aiber show up at the orphanage five months ago?

(End Chapter 42)


	43. Hatori Versus the World

Title: Silent Consonant

By: Dr. Kim-chan

Author's Note: Yeah, I know I've been gone for two months. It hasn't exactly been easy times around here (among them, learning I actually DO have an allergy—the HARD way), but to make it short, I'm back home, happy, alive, devouring antihistamines, and working on a couple of new projects. I WOULD promise not to make you wait like that ever again, but we know how that always turns out. Let's just say I'll try to stay on top of things.

More importantly, the story's still kicking. It's been added to its seventh C2 Archive ("Diamonds in the Glass", moderated by Fire From The Ashes), and it just received its 100th Story Fave, thanks to Saber Amane. (throws a handful of confetti in the air) Aside from life, I was also stuck plot-wise, which made it even harder to return to this fic, but as with all blocks, it didn't last too long.

And though I'm done with the birthday roll-call, I still want to say a Happy Birthday/Halloween to our favorite detective L. Dear Kira, he's 31 years old, people! Can you believe it?

Note: My knowledge of the corporate world sucks. I did the best I could.

* * *

"Let's see…payroll records from last year…need to look over those. But where are the—oh."

Scratching at his brow, Shimura looked away from the computer screen and pushed a button on his telephone console, patching himself through to his assistant's office.

"Morioka?"

"_Yes sir?_"

"Have _all_ the departments sent their list of available positions?" Shimura asked. "I know we received the lists from administration, general maintenance, sales, technology, housing, and VT enterprises last week, and I know we're still waiting for our branches and factories in Yokohama and Takamatsu."

"_I sent you the lists from the rights and planning department last night. The only lists we're missing are the ones from marketing and banking_," Morioka's voice answered.

_Why am I not surprised?_, Shimura thought.

He may have gotten used to Hatori's tardiness, but just because he was used to it didn't mean he let it slide, especially not in spring.

Part tradition, part long-standing socioeconomic practice, most major Japanese businesses didn't hire any new employees until the start of the fiscal year, which more or less always landed on the first week of April, particularly the first day. (By no coincidence, it was also the time of the year when schools resumed their studies and universities ushered in their new freshman classes while graduating the seniors; many new job applicants were jumping into a junior position straight from college.) As VP of Personnel, most of the hiring responsibilities fell on Shimura. Looking at what positions needed to be filled, how much they could afford to pay both their old and new employees, making sure the corporate handbook was up-to-date, overseeing the various training programs…

Resolving the problem would make things easier in the long run, but there were moments when he wondered why he got involved with Namikawa's and Mido's little internal investigation.

"…_Sir, you also asked me to remind you about your 2:30 meeting with President Niiyama_ _and the other company VPs_," Morioka said.

…Right. Then there was today's meeting.

Shimura sucked in a breath and glanced at the clock on the far left wall.

2:18.

"Thank you, Morioka; I'm leaving now. Oh, before I do, I'm forwarding you a copy of all the lists we've received so far. I want you to start compiling the data so I can begin making my report. I'm also expecting some budget outlines from Financial Planning, though I may not get them until after the meeting. If I do, just forward those to my inbox as well."

"_Understood, sir._"

* * *

"…Got it!"

Even if Near didn't know what Matt was talking about, he would have perked up his head; the gamer rarely sounded that excited.

After nearly a day of downloading some of the data left in the computers at the Los Angeles FBI headquarters, breaking through various safeguards on Twelve's personal network, and digging through various databases, Matt finally found something worth suspicion: an unusually large collection of basic text files hidden in a seemingly noticeable place, the computer's registry sector.

However, whoever placed it there had been so thorough as to literally "hide" it. Unless someone actively scanned or cleaned the sector and chanced upon the folder, it was visually invisible to the user. It hadn't been found by L yet either; according to the dates listed on the "Properties" tab, it was created a full month and a half before L formed Twelve, and it hadn't been detected or opened by the system since.

And they already had a clue as to who put it there.

Alongside the folder was a single text file, written in red font.

_Due to the transgressions of the bull and the scorpion, 26 became 25, and unless the harvest virgin, the archer, and the second water-bearer seek their own salvation, 25 will become 22, and these records will remain unread. However, the scorpion's shadow wishes for its originator to speak the truth, and if he stays silent any longer, the bull will allow no one else to speak the truth either._

After getting over their initial shock, the successors went to work extracting the folder, copying it to one of the laptops stationed in their room, and unraveling all of the security measures, including "un-hiding" the main folder, changing the permissions, putting in the various passwords, and decompressing the files—and then doing it all over again for the groups of sub-folders within the main folder. But the herculean task was finally done, and Matt now had a few new tricks in his repertoire.

Near and Mello huddled around the desk as he looked at the sub-folders' and files' dates.

"1991…1992…"

He clicked on the first file.

"'November 12th, 1984'? Why are the dates so old?"

"And what's that?"

Mello pointed at the heading on the first file.

"'Elite Construction Project'…'Subject: L'…project? Subject?" he muttered.

The three boys looked at each other before Matt started to read the file out loud.

"'Today marks what I hope to be the first step towards bettering modern society. Years ago, I established the Wammy's House orphanage with the purpose of helping those who've lost their way in life reclaim their talents and make a difference in what I've perceived throughout my life to be a society gradually declining in morality. However, I have since harbored the secret dream that I would find someone with the potential to fit the cast of the perfect elite I outlined in my thesis in my final years at Cambridge, and thus enact reform on a much broader scale. Today I believe I've found him'...this must be when L first came to Wammy's House."

Near made a weird muttering sound, catching the attention of the other two.

"What?" Mello pressed.

"Watari mentioned a thesis."

"And?"

"Beyond escaped prison because he wanted to disclose some information," Near explained. "And when L first left France, he and Beyond stayed in Los Angeles for about a week, but he stayed in New York, Italy, or England for less time than that. Maybe what Beyond had in store in Los Angeles took a little more time to set up…"

He didn't finish his thought, but instead looked at Matt.

"Go to Cambridge University's website and see if their library has a catalog of available books and theses with a 'Wammy' listed as an author, and if they do, see if any were lent out to any college in the Los Angeles area. Maybe Beyond wanted L to read that thesis."

"But how do we get it without anybody finding out?"

"First we need to find out if it exists."

* * *

If looks could have killed, Namikawa would have been able to burn a hole through Higuchi's neck.

As Yotsuba's VP of Technology Development, Kyosuke Higuchi looked every bit the part—well, almost. Whether it was his influence, his finger placed impeccably on the pulse of Japan's current needs, or his ability to use _some _measure of restraint when it came to using gel, his audacious spiky hairstyle hadn't gotten him fired yet. However, it was no secret that he resented Namikawa due to him being the youngest executive and the speed at which he moved up on the corporate ladder. Meanwhile, though Namikawa didn't care for Higuchi's personality, that was trivial compared to Higuchi's business sense. It would have been a stretch to call them mortal enemies, but it would have been a lie to say they were friends.

Shimura leaned back in his chair and observed the others. Hatori sat far away from the president, most likely trying to make himself look independent. Ooi didn't look so much ignorant as he did exasperated; having been here the longest, he'd witnessed Yotsuba's reputation wane in the past few years. Unable to read any emotion in Kida's sharp-chinned face, Shimura moved on to the bearded Takahashi, who looked so clueless it was almost tragic. He knew about construction, but little else.

After a few moments of silence, a polite cough drew everyone's attention.

"Since I presume everyone here read the memo I distributed yesterday, you all know why I called this meeting. The Yotsuba Corporation's approaching a new fiscal year, and while I've appreciated my employees' contributions these past thirty-six years, we can no longer overlook the losses we've taken in the past several years," the president said. "I had hoped that the 2001-2002 period would have lasted longer, but hopefully we can regain that momentum. That's why I called you all here. First, I asked Namikawa to give a brief summary on Yotsuba's past records so we can pinpoint what we need to work on. Namikawa."

"Yes sir."

He picked up a short stack of papers and began reciting the stats.

"All other investments aside, Yotsuba's main services have been banking, technology, and housing. In banking we provide public banking and handling accounts for private companies. In technology we develop both software and hardware, again for both the commercial and corporate markets, but our specialties have been virtualization technology, security, and personal electronics. For housing we deal in private housing and apartment complexes for company employees, though recently we've branched out into general construction."

As Shimura took mental notes, he couldn't help but notice that every time Namikawa mentioned "technology", he stole side glances at Higuchi.

"The net profits from our private markets have shown an overall growth of 26 percent in the past ten years for a total of 41 billion yen, 48 percent of that amount coming from our technology alone. However, we've experienced a gradual decline in our commercial markets: a net loss of about 34 percent, mostly in banking and personal electronics. Housing hasn't seen much of a loss in either market."

"Well, the bank loss is understandable. We're still recovering from our 1997 expansion attempt in Kansai," Takahashi muttered.

"It was just the wrong place at the wrong time," Mido assured. "The two banks we built in Osaka are still doing well, and recent reports show we're starting to make up for the other Kansai losses with our new branches in western and central Tohoku."

"What _I _don't understand is personal electronics," Kida argued. "Except for our cell phones and computers, most of what we produce is for niche markets. Even some of our mass-market products stand up to Dosei's and Hamaoji's. We put more effort into research."

Higuchi smirked, a detail that the ever-cautious Shimura didn't fail to catch.

"Making a good product's only half the problem. If I may ask my colleagues—and President Niiyama—don't you think it's more than coincidence we're making money in the private sector while we're being bled dry in the public sector?"

"Of course there's some correlation, and I'm sure that's what you're trying to get at," Ooi said. "You're saying it's a systematic or administrative problem. For one thing, there's many fundamental differences in how we conduct business and move our products for private businesses as opposed to selling them to everyone else in Japan."

"What he means is that it's the marketing of our products that's the issue, not the quality of them," Namikawa said.

Everyone looked surprised, but getting to the truth was something Namikawa was known for.

However, his observation pointed to only one culprit.

"Wait a minute!" Hatori burst out, his red cheeks clashing with his platinum blond hair. "My department's done a lot to increase Yotsuba's presence!"

"In the _private _markets, maybe," Higuchi said. "Look, no one here will deny your ability to put together presentations and identify consumer needs, but we have to be _everywhere._ Otherwise we're just selling to a few good friends."

This elicited a bigger reaction than Namikawa's statement. Higuchi almost never agreed with his younger colleague, especially not on financial matters, and once those two had their say, no one else could help but agree.

More or less.

"There may be more to this than Higuchi and Namikawa say; for one, I'm concerned about needless expenditures and exorbitant bonuses," Ooi added. "On the other hand, publicity _is_ a major issue we need to address. That Kansai bank crisis and the factory construction mishap two years ago eroded our reputation."

"What was I supposed to do? Our legal team does damage control, not me."

"If you ask me, we need to focus on a new demographic," Takahashi said. "We're wasting all this time and energy trying to get back old customers, we're ignoring the new generations. Besides, _they're_ the ones that'll want our technology."

The president nodded slowly.

"As Ooi says, this may very well be a multidimensional issue, but for the moment I'm assuming there is general consensus about our need to reinvent the company's image and reach out to a new demographic?"

Everyone except Hatori agreed.

"Well, this may have come at a great time. The first week of April means a new workforce, and a lot of personal needs the younger people need fulfilled. Let's move on…"

* * *

The elevator doors slid shut, and Namikawa sighed. Riding with him were Mido and Shimura.

"That was pitiful. I'm almost disappointed."

"Pitiful?" Shimura asked.

"You didn't notice that little act Higuchi and Hatori put on in that boardroom? Higuchi tries to make himself look like a genius and purposely points out a seemingly valid reason for Yotsuba's losses, then he throws Hatori to the wolves. Then he has the gall to smile and nod and agree with me."

"It does seem a little too convenient. So we get our money back by appealing to a younger crowd and putting our future in Hatori's hands? But what can we say? Mr. Niiyama didn't throw Hatori any slack, either. He told him the consequences of failure."

"I have to believe Mr. Niiyama has at least that much sense. If nothing else, this is an interesting diversion they came up with. A brand-new publicity campaign."

He crossed his arms.

"Looks like I have to call Miss Nine again."

* * *

"That was brutal."

Hatori sunk into a seat in the gloom of Higuchi's ultramodern office, the blood draining from his face. Behind his desk, Higuchi smirked and turned on his computer monitor.

"Why did _I _have to be the sacrifice?" Hatori groaned.

"Take it as a compliment. I'm not saying you're a moron; it's just that no one expects you to make trouble. Certainly your dad doesn't expect anything from you. He thinks all he needs to do is put you on a tight leash, and he won't be threatened. Then again, it's that same hapless attitude that'll eventually prove to be his downfall."

"Or ours."

"Don't worry about it. At least you can think under pressure. That wasn't even the plan we had in mind, but hell, it's a much better one! 'Reinventing ourselves to appeal to younger buyers'? A publicity campaign? A talent search? And right before the new fiscal year?"

Higuchi's scowl turned into a smile before he chuckled and tapped his knee.

"The next few weeks are gonna be quite interesting…"

(End Chapter 43)

After Note: Just in case anyone cared.

1. With the current exchange rate, 42 billion yen is equal to over 510 million US dollars. Again, I don't know if that's a believable amount for a company to make. I hope it is.

2. Dosei and Hamaoji were just rival company names I made up. Don't sweat it; there's no underlying meaning this time.

3. Likewise, I made up the name of Yotsuba's president. I don't think they ever mentioned him by name in the anime/manga, so I just went with it. Now this name does have meaning. Using the right kanji, Niiyama means "new mountain". Generally, a mountain's an obstacle, and as this chapter showed you, both Twelve and Yotsuba might have a lot of new problems on their hands. You could also take it to mean that, with a mountain being "new", it's not very tall or formidable, pretty much like the president himself. He has a son as a VP and he's pretty much oblivious to his company's problems.


	44. Deal With the Devil

Title: Silent Consonant

By: Dr. Kim-chan

Author's Note: Merry (late) Christmas, Happy New Year's, and every other holiday in-between, everyone! Next month "Silent Consonant" will be two years old, and darn it, I'll get done with it eventually!

And holy crap; just _one_ reviewer gave me a page and a half of reviews? Thanks, lelo; you get a chapter dedication! I like people who let me know how I'm doing with my story, and I probably don't deserve it; I let two months slide by. But to make up for it, in the light of New Year's, this month I'm updating _three_ stories! "Bakery Boys" and "Ronin Note" will follow shortly; I couldn't write them all at once. That almost made me crazy.

Anyway, as you all mentioned, it shouldn't be a surprise Beyond has even _more_ tricks up his sleeve, and NO, I didn't forget Light (again). MNM used his computer as a proxy so they could go through L's network, but since Light has school/family/whatever and the search took such a long time, he wouldn't have been able to find out about the files until now. Also keep in mind that the time frame between Chapters 42 and 43 is less than 24 hours and that Light already found out about the elite project from Naomi. (But being as practical as he is, he still wanted proof, which was why he went along with it.)

Either way, maybe they should have left that folder alone…

* * *

_The hallways of Brentwood Inn were eerily quiet._

_Every other guest and staff member had been evacuated for their own safety. The last one to leave had been the desk attendant, who'd been contacted by Beyond via his hotel room phone and used him to communicate his demands to the police, the SWAT team, and most importantly, the few members of the SIS-L who didn't already have their hands full with looking for Rester and Bullook and dealing with the mafia members they just arrested._

_When Watari's escort car pulled up to the location, he had already tried to predict the outcome of the negotiations based on Beyond's previous movements, but he left room for variables. If anything, Beyond himself was nothing but a walking variable._

_Therefore it hardly surprised him when Beyond, via the desk attendant, suddenly agreed to release the housekeeper he'd been holding hostage and give himself up—the sole condition being that he could talk to Watari in the hotel room alone. Wanting to take no chances on anyone overhearing their conversation, he also wanted the desk attendant out of the building after Watari went in, and made clear the consequences if he found out Watari was wearing a wire or had an escort._

_So, after persuading the hard-nosed police negotiator and SWAT team commander, Watari went in alone after the desk attendant and housekeeper scurried out._

_After turning a corner and taking five steps forward, he stopped and tipped up the brim of his fedora to get a better look at the room number._

_Room 232._

_Patting down his bulletproof vest, Watari reluctantly turned the knob and stepped in._

_Again defying his expectations, Beyond sat crouched on the foot of the bed, staring out at the curtain-covered windows. The windows had been obscured on purpose; strangely enough, unlike Beyond, most people in the police force threw strategy out the window when the stress came too close to the boiling point. He knew that with one slip-up (which Beyond never imagined making), they wouldn't hesitate in giving a sniper the go-ahead._

_After waiting for the older man to close the door, Beyond turned to face him, a crooked grin on his face. He looked as if he wanted nothing more than to talk, but Watari wouldn't give him the satisfaction._

"_I'm aware you have the upper hand at the moment, but I feel I should be clear about your long-term prospects," he said, taking his fedora off his hat._

_Beyond waved him off._

"_I didn't call you in because I wanted to make any demands. I already know I have no chance of being given special treatment." He shrugged. "What can I say? I escaped from prison, pursued L across five different countries, kidnapped the Japanese police chief's son, and completely demoralized the SIS-L by sneaking back into Los Angeles without detection."_

"_Hm. Then there's the multiple counts of data manipulation, your murder attempt on L during the Tsukiji incident, the attack on agent Stephen Loud, and the subsequent kidnapping of Naomi Misora…and Near."_

"…_You must not be wearing a wire if you're admitting that out loud."_

"_Aside from safety reasons, I hardly thought we needed further proof of your guilt."_

"_And I don't need any more proof of yours."_

_Watari furrowed his brows as Beyond's grin vanished, and he stared straight at the blank television screen._

"_On top of trying to track me down, you were also trying to find L, but in doing so you also withheld vital information from the SIS-L and Interpol, employed L's successors without duly informing the rest of the SIS-L, and falsified certain records. But that wasn't enough measures taken. It was more than L at stake—it was the entire elite project. Your vision of a perfect world was in danger of crumbling, and you'd do anything to prevent that from happening—even murder."_

"_Murder?"_

_Beyond chuckled._

"_Murder, conspiracy, whatever you want to call it. It's all the same in most courts of law. So…what exactly did you promise the mafia?"_

_

* * *

_

_I know where he is, what he's doing, with whom, and what he hopes to accomplish. Of course this would mean another delay on Interpol's part, but it's your decision to make. Angry delegates or total ruin…_

Now Watari had four obligations.

The first was to find L and his successors and figure out what they were up to.

The second was to satisfy Interpol and bring the case to a perfect resolution by finding Misora and the rest of the missing agents—or at least confirm their deaths.

The third was to take care of the mafia, who were still awaiting trial, and it'd been recently contested that the mafia had interfered in international affairs by attacking the SIS-L, complicating Beyond's trial.

And the fourth was to settle the matter of Beyond himself.

And if what Beyond told him was true, he could take care of all of them in one fell swoop.

Watari would have stayed in Los Angeles for the time being regardless, but he needed to tie up some loose ends in the case—and, admittedly, buy himself some time, so that his trip to Corcoran had some semblance of purpose.

Maybe it did.

In the darkness of his hotel suite, Watari sifted through piles of seemingly irrelevant links, firewalls, and password-protected information until he found what Beyond told him to look for.

Cambridge University's website.

The information on his thesis had been sought after and accessed recently.

From an unknown IP address in Japan.

Even without Beyond, Watari knew L better than anyone; the—former—detective's behavior was indeed predictable. Neither he nor anyone else he'd spirited away could be in Los Angeles anymore, and whether they were really in Japan or not, at any rate L had to be stalling for time until he gained enough clout to confront Watari one final time.

Still, if he made a move now, without the impetus of Beyond, stirring up the SIS-L's Japan Branch would be pointless and raise more questions than finding Misora and the missing agents would answer.

Without the impetus of Beyond…

Watari briefly took his stare off of his laptop.

It would be a serious gamble, but at the very least it would settle the dispute within Interpol and give him more time.

And if anything about Beyond was quantifiable, it was that he himself never was.

* * *

"A publicity campaign?"

L picked up his coffee spoon as Bullook shrugged her shoulders.

"That's what Namikawa said, and he didn't sound all that convinced either. Now he's certain Hatori and Higuchi are the ones taking out the money—the main culprits, anyway. He still doesn't know if there's anyone else involved."

"I'm not surprised," Naomi said. "Everything in their private sector is going well while millions of dollars are being siphoned out of their commercial sales. It's a convenient explanation, but you'd be naïve to think they were stealing from those accounts. What I don't get is that the net loss Namikawa saw in the progress is over seven times the amount that was stolen. Three billion yen is a drop in the bucket compared to twenty-two billion in losses."

"Unless this is just one big elaborate plan to trick their associates while they reallocate the money," L said. "The missing three million that was noticed may have just been a decoy so that they could take more out, even in spite of their high salaries. Given Namikawa's overview of how the meeting with Niiyama and the rest of the VPs went, I'm also starting to get a better idea of how the culprits operate. They don't focus on long-range goals, but rather short-term gratification, and they plan their moves accordingly. I don't get a sense of complexity from this scheme either; in fact they're willing to take more than their share of risks. Still, it wasn't until now that anyone noticed, so either they hide behind their status, a third or fourth party's involved as well, or they actually go through the trouble of covering their tracks every once in a while."

"Then why a publicity campaign? According to what Hatori has in mind, they want to bring attention to their personal electronics and banking services, specifically for young professionals. Hatori's in charge of marketing, and Higuchi heads up electronics. Wouldn't that draw unwanted attention?"

"It may just be a distraction. Like I said, changing tactics at the last second is both their weakness and their strength. It's simply a matter of obtaining some proof…speaking of which, Wedy, what did you find out about the bank blackmailing?"

"From what I could get, Yotsuba's been talking to six banks for the past eight years. They were trying to get them to buy their security systems, but it was somewhat of an open secret that they wanted to buy out two branches in particular: Shoriyado and Tamai. They'd been negotiating with Shoriyado for four years and Tamai for two, and they both gave in to Yotsuba's demands within weeks of each other. If I can do a little surveillance on the bank presidents, I might be able to find out what dirt they're trying to keep secret."

"Who was in charge of the talks?"

"Ooi and Kida mainly, but then about a year ago one or the other got Higuchi involved. Or maybe none of them did. It's hard to pick out an exact story; sounds like he muscles in whether anyone wants his help or not. As for having any more info on Yotsuba's dealings, I don't. That place is pretty cloak-and-dagger; they keep everything on a completely separate network, and it can pick up on outside intrusions fast."

L hummed.

"When do they plan to launch the publicity campaign?"

"As soon as they find a spokesperson, and that's where their plan may have backfired on them. Hatori was put in charge of the search, but since they want the focus of the campaign to be consumer electronics and starter bank accounts for college graduates and new employees, they also put him with Mido and Higuchi. Namikawa'll get involved later once the numbers come in, and Shimura will oversee the stipulations put in the contract."

"So everybody will be looking over each other's shoulders," Naomi muttered. "Not much of a distraction when the masterminds themselves are distracted."

"We might be able to use this to our advantage," Bullook said. "Niiyama sounded very particular about how he wanted this to go; this won't be a public search; they're only taking in those from the top talent agencies in the country. I already asked Namikawa to forward us the list of prospectives once they get it, which should be in the next couple of days."

L took a sip of coffee and stared off into space—which as almost everyone in Twelve had started to learn, meant he was in the process of formulating a deceptively simple plan.

"Considering the publicity that'll be around them during this campaign and the state of confidentiality, we may have to work from the inside. At this point outside evidence won't be enough in this case, and whether or not Higuchi and Hatori came up with this on purpose, Namikawa, Mido and Shimura may not be of much use to us anymore."

"Someone on the inside? Who?"

"Loud."

L didn't say it. Bullook did.

"We need Wedy to deal with the bank blackmailings, and I'm still acting as liaison between us and Namikawa. Light might have been a good choice, but his identity was already compromised during that first hostage situation with Beyond."

L bit his thumb and nodded sagely.

"I agree. Loud's the best undercover candidate. He's about the right age to be a college graduate, and he looks the least conspicuous."

The agent in question looked surprised, but after his experience in the CIA, an undercover mission would be no great challenge.

"Whatever I can do."

Shifting his weight onto one foot, L dug into his side pants pocket, pulled out his cell phone, and dialed.

"Scorpio One. Number?"

"_Ngaam Yat_," Aiber's voice rang out. "_Neih hou ma?_"

L rolled his eyes but didn't reprimand the con artist. 'Ngaam Yat' was as close to 'Cancer One' as anyone could get in Cantonese, and only Aiber would have the wherewithal for such humor, even in a serious situation.

"We're preparing to move on to the next step in the Yotsuba investigation, and we'll require some documents. I'm about to send you a short list of contacts; get in touch with them before you leave and create an identity for a Japanese citizen named…let's see, Satoru Komori should do. I also want you to get some equipment for Wedy. I'll include all the specifics in the e-mail."

"_Understood._"

* * *

A beep sounded off, interrupting the stream of quixotic lyrics and soft rock music coming from the young woman's headphones.

_You have one new e-mail_.

The sender was her agency.

Reluctantly, she tore herself away from the online gossip column she was reading and clicked on the blinking envelope.

"…'_A Mr. Arayoshi Hatori contacted us earlier this afternoon on behalf of the Yotsuba Corporation. They're looking for an experienced model-actress to star in a new publicity campaign. The job will include commercials and nationwide print ads, as well as extensive work in Tokyo. Meet with me tomorrow at 9:30 AM and we'll talk about submitting your resume and headshots. Keep in mind that we might have some competition; I heard they also called up a few more agencies around Tokyo and the rest of Kansai, but we'll shoot for the best._'"

She twirled in her chair and squealed even before she finished reading the rest of the e-mail, barely considering the imminent rivalry from the other agencies.

No one had to tell her modeling could be a tooth-and-nail business to work in, but what was realism compared to an unfailing belief in oneself? Sure, Tokyo would be somewhat foreign territory, but Osaka had already outlived its excitement, and she already had experience in a couple of movies and large-scale magazines.

No one would be better for Yotsuba than Misa Amane.

(End Chapter 44)


	45. Whatever Must Be Done

Title: Silent Consonant

By: Dr. Kim-chan

Author's Note: I'm glad to see most people are receiving Misa's entry into the story well. Don't worry; I'll do my best to write her well, and while we're on the subject…I don't mean to be preachy, but I want to put in a word for our little model/Second Kira.

I admit, at first I didn't like her, but the more I read/watched Death Note, I realized I may have given her too much flak. She may have been a little reckless sometimes, and sometimes her heart did rule her head, but she probably saved Light in the long run (he certainly didn't think twice about using Rem's attachment to Misa to his advantage). I didn't see Light lasting too long against L by himself anyway; that was obvious when L showed up at his college and openly introduced himself as L. Then she had the foresight to use envelopes with someone else's prints on them, send them from different locations, use coded diary entries to lead the task force astray, and played a very key role in Higuchi's downfall. Believe me, dumber anime characters have existed before.

(And admit it, she livened things up. Ring-Around-the-Rosie, anyone?)

* * *

A fresh shower of loose cherry blossom petals swept through the air—the first sure sign of spring.

And the first sure sign of new college students.

Milling around the open courtyard were the newest additions to the prestigious To-Oh University, having just sat through a rather lengthy orientation ceremony. Having scored the highest on the university's entrance examinations, Light was given the honor of being appointed class representative, and as such, giving a respectable speech about the hopes and expectations of his fellow co-eds, even if those hopes were simply not to repeat the past mistakes of high school.

Light stepped outside, dressed in a gray two-piece suit and starting to get a little tired of the crispness of the cloth. After a quick once-over of the chattering crowds making plans to do something a little more exciting, he sighed and began making his way to the gates. No one here looked familiar; whether because of a lack of effort or just different ambitions, the few friends he had in high school applied to colleges a little less exclusive.

_No offense, Light, but…uh…rumor is To-Oh's a little snooty_, one of them whispered to him a few days before they took their entrance exams.

Yet many people here knew him…exactly what he dreaded. When the university president called Light up to the podium to deliver the speech, the auditorium immediately filled with loud whispers.

_Light Yagami? Wasn't he the one who was kidnapped by that international criminal a couple months ago?_

_You mean the NPA chief's son?_

_You didn't hear? It was live on TV…!_

_Huh. I thought he'd look a little more traumatized…_

All in all, however, the morning felt strangely ordinary. Even with the obvious imperfections, his life was right on track.

Almost.

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted one of those imperfections standing just outside the gate.

A messy-haired, baggy-eyed imperfection.

Usually this warranted a grimace, but by now Light had grown accustomed to the sight of the strange detective, and this time he'd fully anticipated L showing up. His transition from high school to To-Oh hadn't been a big secret to begin with, and it wasn't as if L couldn't have figured it out on his own, but Light decided to grant him the courtesy of telling him exactly which day the orientation ceremony would occur. As for the danger of being seen in public, right on the curb a few feet away was a dark gray car with Misora waiting behind the wheel.

"Hey, Ryuzaki," Light said halfheartedly, using one of L's many pseudonyms.

"Your orientation's over?"

"Yeah. So how's…Komori?"

"He started this morning. We should be hearing from him within a few hours, though it may take him a little longer to establish an outside connection to the company network," L replied without missing a beat.

Both of them knew what the other was talking about. Unless it was safe to call Stephen Loud by his real name (or even his code name, Virgo Two), he'd be known by everyone else in Twelve as Satoru Komori, the false name he used to obtain an entry-level clerical job at Yotsuba. A few days ago Aiber returned from Hong Kong, counterfeit records in hand, and with his new identity, Loud took advantage of the pre-April lull to glide through the hiring process.

"Do you need me today?"

L shook his head slowly.

"Scorpio Two's still trying to dig up more information on Shoriyado and Tamai. For the time being she's looking into the bank presidents' personal lives, but she says she probably won't make any real progress until Komori completely infiltrates Yotsuba," L muttered. "Aquarius Three is looking over the list of prospective spokesmodels with Cancer One, and everyone else is finishing up some unrelated cases. With me and the rest of Twelve occupied, you're still the only one who can monitor Beyond and Watari, especially once you consider what's been going on."

"Going on? But nothing _has _been going on. Watari's been quiet so far, and all he's done before that is go to Corcoran to speak with Beyond."

L paused, bit his thumb, and glanced nervously over his shoulder.

"True, but unlike the other times, he didn't report straight back to Interpol, which may mean Beyond actually had something worth telling him," he mumbled. "With me and my successors still out of his reach and Interpol putting pressure on him to close the Los Angeles case, he might just be prepared to take any risk—and considering his past actions, I wouldn't put it past him. We have to see how this develops, and until then we can't be too careful."

"Is that why you came all the way out here?"

"If worse comes to worse, we won't have much freedom to move, so I wanted to get out of the hotel while I could and get a better assessment of things, including Yotsuba's main headquarters and your college…that, and I suppose it would've been rude not to come and congratulate you on your entry into To-Oh."

Light tilted his head, unsure of whether L was being serious or not.

"All right. Should I call or e-mail you about any updates?"

"Call…oh, and I'll make sure to arrange your move later this week."

"Thanks."

L nodded and began walking back towards the car as Light headed for the nearest subway station, silent but fuming.

On some level, he was glad he didn't have to report in, but he also wished _something _would happen. It seemed to be enough to be personally asked by the world's premier detective (former or not) to join his elite group when joining the NPA was still a few years away, but with nothing to do but keep tabs on Watari, Beyond, and his own father, Light felt a bit cheated. He had just as much potential as anyone else in Twelve.

If only L could see that…

Before Light could stop his frustration from turning into anger, the ring of his cell phone did it first. Stopping just short of a sidewalk curb, he rummaged through his jacket pocket until he found it.

"Hello?"

"_Hello, Light. Is your orientation ceremony over, dear?_"

"Yes, Mom. I'm headed home now."

"_Do you have your house key with you?_"

"Yes…you won't be home?"

"_Not for an hour or so. I'm going out to shop and then drop off some food for your father. He just called me a few minutes ago saying he needed to stay for an emergency meeting…something about the SIS-L…he didn't give too many details; just that he might be at the office for a night or two to see how the situation develops. I may be home before then, but just in case, make sure Sayu comes home, okay?_"

"All right. Bye, Mom."

Light hung up, paused, then dialed L's number.

"Well, that didn't take long."

* * *

Soichiro sighed as he glanced at the computer screen on his desk, then refocused his gaze onto the assembly of police investigators in front of him.

"I just received word from Mr. Kitamura that the Japan Branch of the Special Investigations Section for L is being reinstated under what Watari referred to as 'dire circumstances'. However, aside from the group in Los Angeles, we will be the only active SIS-L branch. As such, the information and security protocols will be just as they were when we were operating two months ago—our activities here stand independent of the rest of the NPA, and all data is classified."

A few men exchanged nervous glances, but no one looked too worried. After the hectic kidnappings and international wild goose chase, they couldn't imagine anything worse happening. This had to be nothing more than a final wrapping-up of the case.

All the same, Aizawa didn't like the look on his chief's face.

Neither did he like the redness growing on Ukita's face.

"As you may already know, for the past couple of months Watari has been working alongside Interpol representatives in order to process the case against Beyond Birthday. A couple of days ago he made a visit to Corcoran State Prison in California, acting on a lead from Beyond Birthday himself. The information he wanted to give was relevant not only to the events in Los Angeles, but another recent development in the case…one that hadn't even been released to Interpol until several weeks ago."

Matsuda's face screwed up.

"Again, as you're all aware, Watari placed L in protective custody in Britain after we recovered him and Naomi Misora from the Tsukiji fish market hostage drop-off, but apparently L has disappeared once again."

At that point Ukita couldn't contain his rage anymore.

"_Again? _We just finished tracking him down—after three months!"

Soichiro—along with everyone else in the office—flinched, but he continued unabated.

"That part of the investigation was being handled by local British authorities, but the suspects involved were then discovered to have former connections to L and are now assumed to have allied with Beyond Birthday," Soichiro continued. "That in addition to the mafia's involvement leads Interpol to believe a larger conspiracy may be in place. There's also the matter of finding Naomi Misora and the three American agents to resolve; unless we can find both them and Beyond's cohorts, the case against Beyond will remain tremulous."

"So what does he want us to do?" Ide asked.

"The information Beyond offered hinted at the possibility that the hostages may have been brought to Japan before he was captured at the Brentwood Inn. To find out for sure, Watari is coming to carry out an in-depth investigation…and he's bringing Beyond Birthday with him."

The room broke out in confused mutterings and whispers, but before Ukita could explode again, Matsuda offered a more articulate contention.

"But if Beyond's as dangerous as Interpol says he is, shouldn't they keep him locked up? He could just tell us what we need to know by phone or something."

"That was Watari's first consideration, but Beyond wasn't willing to compromise. The fact that he'd been holding onto this knowledge this whole time probably meant he'd hoped to use the value of his newest hostages as leverage, either to obtain a lesser sentence or to escape US jurisdiction entirely, since that was where he committed his gravest crimes. Also, since these are American hostages, he probably thought he'd be able to sway Interpol's opinion by dividing the opinion of the representatives."

"Then why are they going along with it?" Ide demanded.

Soichiro looked up.

"Because we're not doing this under his terms."

Eyebrows raised.

"Watari agreed to release him from Corcoran, but only because he was able to strike a last-minute deal with the US government. In the interest of recovering the hostages as quickly as possible, Interpol is now fully prepared to allow Japan to try him here in a special _ad hoc _international court, and if Beyond does try to escape, Watari will put every SIS-L branch on standby and give them full permission to capture him—dead or alive. Meanwhile, the US can try the mafia members for conspiracy and the murders of the Los Angeles branch members...and Raye Penber. The way Watari sees it, Beyond wants a choice, and he's giving him one: extradition with the promise of a trial, or execution."

"…Wow. Old man's trickier than I thought," Ukita grumbled. "So when are they coming?"

"Tomorrow morning. Aizawa and I will drive to Tokyo International Airport along with a regular police escort and bring them here. One group will be permanently assigned to guarding Beyond's cell, while the rest of us assists Watari."

A short pause.

"Matsuda?"

"Yes, chief?"

"These aren't Watari's orders, but starting tomorrow morning I want you to guard my son. Even with the rest of us around Beyond and Watari, I don't want to take any chances, especially now that Light's starting college and moving out of my home in a couple of days."

The younger detective froze up for a second, allowing the gravity of Soichiro's instructions to sink in. It didn't sound like much of a challenging mission, but Light Yagami was more than a typical college freshman. He was the son of the NPA chief, and potentially a target for Beyond Birthday and his shadowy cohorts once again. Whatever reason he had for giving him this particular assignment, Soichiro didn't trust just anyone with his family's safety.

And being given an honor like that, he'd do all he could.

"…Yes, sir."

(End Chapter 45)

Author's After Note: As a personal tribute, I'm dedicating this chapter, as well as the upcoming Chapter 46, to the victims and survivors of the recent earthquake/tsunami crisis in Japan. My readers, don't be a "silent consonant"; do what you can to help.


	46. Follow

Title: Silent Consonant

By: Dr. Kim-chan

Author's Note: Blah, two months? I missed you guys! Also, writing blocks suck. Now I know better than to try to cram too much action in one chapter; it only makes updates slower. That and anime conventions. (cuddles her new Sode no Shirayuki replica)

And to Moss E (and anyone else wondering), I did mention the Gelus/Rem issue (briefly in Chapter 15) but I still don't think the Death Note will show up in this story. While Gelus/Rem's actions may not have been prevented, without Kira, Misa doesn't have much of a motivation to use it. Even if she did have it, Light would probably talk her out of using it, what with his pre-Kira morals and such. (P.S., "1301" _is _"MA", but a different "MA" (Misa Amane)…but don't count Matsuda out yet. *wink*)

Speaking of which, because of the interest in the clues, starting now I'm putting in a "Silent Extras" section after the end of each chapter, where I explain all the clues I _didn't _mention in previous chapters (and I mean all the way back to Chapter _Four_). Just a thank-you for your patience and reviews.

P.S.: JJ Dragon, that Chuck Norris comment made me LOL hard.

* * *

_(1413 + 23) / 12_

_13 + 13 – 14_

_1413 + 14 + 13_

_(13 + 1225) x 12_

_23 – 12. Add 13, 13, and 14._

_(13 + 12 + 1) – 23_

Naomi (and possibly L's successors) and Watari, L being the factor dividing them.

Near taken away from Mello and Matt, and yet the crisis as a whole serving to reveal the true mystery behind L.

Naomi, Near, and Beyond temporarily together, with a possible warning of future internal (or external) strife.

Beyond and Light, bolstering L, and Aiber and Wedy somehow involved with their efforts.

L subtracted from Watari and replaced by his successors.

Beyond, L, and what they could only assume to be A—once a complete system, but torn down by Watari, with only three left over.

* * *

Near, Mello, and Matt pondered the answers they came up with to Beyond's mystifying equations—among a plethora of other things—as they pored over the copies of Watari's elite project logs.

"Wow. Watari wrote down _everything_," Matt muttered, glossing over the sheer number of text files. "L's childhood, the cases he took on before the world officially recognized him as an investigator—"

"Even the Mad Winchester Bombings?" Mello asked.

"Yeah. He even recorded the days when _we_ showed up at Wammy's. Listen to this…'There is another candidate aside from Mello, also given the code letter 'M' (Matt), but his test scores barely exceed the minimum. He also doesn't show any interest in being a part of the project. However, we will continue to consider him in the future, as he shows promise, particularly in the field of technology, which in this era of technological development is an invaluable trait. He also seems to have befriended Mello, which, as I'm told by Roger, is a feat in itself.'"

Mello scowled. Matt might have taken it as a compliment, especially since it was supposedly rare for a third to be included in L's line of successors, but for the volatile blond, it was merely a reminder of Roger's constant admonitions and punishments.

"We're looking for something further back," Near cut in. "Something about L or A's relevance to the elite project."

"Okay. Let's see..."

A series of clicking sounds filled Room 1303 until the techie-in-training found what Near wanted.

"Mmm…according to Watari, L's official induction into the global law enforcement community and the first search for successors was Stage Two of the project, but then A died in September 1996. The official report said he jumped from the bell tower and died from head trauma, so that confirms those suicide rumors the older kids were going on about. Beyond was supposed to be next in line, but he left Wammy's two years later. After that was some reformations in the project—Stages Three and Four—which was when the three of us came along. Then in 2000…"

"The Wara Ningyo Murders," Mello said.

Matt nodded.

"I don't get it. So if Watari wasn't responsible for A's death, what was the 'injustice' Beyond was going on about? Other than the elite project, we already knew about everything else, and I don't think running a project's exactly illegal."

"You said it yourself," Near said. "Maybe it's no longer so much about A as it is how it all relates to what's going on now. Nothing notable happens after those Los Angeles murders until Beyond escapes Corcoran and leads L back to Los Angeles, then New York, Florence, and England; the thesis was also checked out of Cambridge University at the same time. Then L falls off the radar of his own volition—despite the formation of the SIS-L—and turns himself in only when Beyond lures him out by taking Light Yagami hostage."

Near paused, and the other two looked up at him.

"'…However, the scorpion's shadow wishes for its originator to speak the truth, and if he stays silent any longer, the bull will allow no one else to speak the truth either.'"

Another pause, this one longer than the first.

"Matt, check any text files written in 2000—"

A loud knock cut Near's next set of instructions short.

"Number?" Mello called out irritably.

"Capricorn Two."

Near signaled to Matt to close out the laptop, and only when they looked somewhat innocent did he give Mello the go-ahead to open the door for Carter.

"Sorry to interrupt you, but we're about to have an emergency meeting."

* * *

"What?"

Light nodded solemnly.

"Interpol's letting Japan hold Beyond's international trial here on the basis that the SIS-L's case was officially concluded here, considering what happened at Tsukiji. Watari and a few members of the SIS-L Los Angeles Branch will be arriving here tomorrow morning and joining forces with the Japan Branch while they organize their evidence and gather all the attending delegates. They just made the decision a couple of days ago, so it's pretty short-notice."

"They haven't even discussed a trial for the mafia members yet!" Bullook exclaimed. "Like they need Beyond's conviction and testimony to prosecute them!"

"That's another thing."

Light looked up, his expression surprisingly grim for a young man starting his freshman year at college.

"Kal Snyder confessed during the initial interrogation and was ready to turn state's evidence, but he was killed last night while under police protection. They don't know who the killer was yet, but it looked like a professional hit. They're still holding Ralph Bay and Rod Ross, but neither of them are talking, though they could be prosecuted for unrelated charges if it comes to that."

It was only a second, but it was all the time Near, Mello and Matt needed to catch a slight twitch on Naomi's face.

"In fact, the only other reason Watari's coming to Japan is because Beyond said he had information that can lead to you all: L, Misora, you, Carter, Loud—probably Near, Mello, and Matt too. He didn't mention Wedy and Aiber, but obviously if he finds one of us, he'll find the rest of us."

Light shot a harsh, yet barely perceptible, glare at the hunched detective.

As of yet, no one except him, L, and Naomi knew the truth behind Watari's desperation. As far as anyone else was concerned, Watari and L had simply come to a volatile disagreement resulting in the older man's unusual tactic of sticking L in Broadmoor Hospital, with Beyond somehow being the instigator. It was almost audacious how L could get away with keeping quiet for so long, even as the SIS-L Japan Branch was beginning to reawaken and Interpol was tightening its noose. If worse came to worse, even Light could be pinned as an accomplice—to L or Beyond, it didn't matter—and his reasons for attending To-Oh and studying all those years would come to nothing.

For once, Light almost sympathized with Beyond.

_Just admit what's going on and get it over with_, he silently begged.

L chewed his thumbnail.

"…This doesn't change anything," he finally said, picking up a skewer of _mitarashi dango _from a silver tray. "If we drop our current cases or take any other drastic measures now, it'll only arouse suspicion. Loud is living in one of Yotsuba's employee residency apartments, so he's safe where he is. Wedy, you can continue with your end of the Yotsuba investigation, but from now on only leave the hotel in disguise, and try not to leave any traces."

"Like you have to ask."

"Yagami-kun, you'll move to Room 1308 as planned, but I'm sure your father will be concerned about your…extracurricular activities, so exercise discretion."

Light nodded, trying to hide his disappointment.

"That's all for the issue of Watari and the SIS-L. Let's move on to debriefing, starting with the Yotsuba embezzlement case. Wedy, what have you found out so far?"

"Loud got in contact with me yesterday; he finally got into a couple of Yotsuba's databases—but the real news is what I dug up on Tamai. Turns out there was some construction accident two years ago when Yotsuba tried building a second factory for their technology division near Takamatsu. The project was scrapped in the end, which you'd think would be a whole lot of sunk money, but it turned out Tamai was the financier for that project. They were even able to recoup Yotsuba's expenses using some third-party insurance policy deal."

"How much was the policy worth?" L asked.

Wedy smirked.

"Almost twice the amount they lost when those three Kansai banks went under."

"And now they're being bought out, thanks to Higuchi," Naomi muttered. "Sounds like a clean-up job to me."

"Not to mention the accident happened right after their one great fiscal year. There's nothing in the reports Mido gave us to say they lost money due to something other than that accident, but there's nothing to say they got more than their fair share back either."

"Then neither of them were isolated incidents. At best, Yotsuba might be looking at blackmailing, embezzlement, money laundering, wire fraud, and insurance fraud," L said. "Yet that still leaves the question of Shoriyado's involvement, the incongruity of profit in their private and commercial markets, and why two of the Kansai banks were left untouched. And why would Higuchi wait until now to call in favors?"

"And they're still bleeding money, which is weird in itself. Normally companies try to pass themselves off as successful on all fronts so they can get away with crap like this…"

"Unless the records this Mido fellow gave us were fake."

Aiber meant it as a joke, but the adults in the room suddenly looked at each other with raised eyebrows, L's mouth stuffed with _mitarashi dango_.

"Stealing money from your own company is stupid enough, but completely overhauling their own financial records under their colleagues' noses?" Naomi asked aloud.

"If that's true, they're cleverer than we thought they were. Everyone expects them to succeed in the private markets because it's foolproof elbow-rubbing, and they could just blame their commercial losses on the fickle tastes of the public. No wonder Mido and Namikawa were worried. This scheme collapses, it'll have _them_ written all over it, not Higuchi or Hatori."

"Then should we assume this publicity campaign's just another attempt to cover their tracks?"

"Possibly, and if so it's for one of two reasons: either it's merely another step in their scheme, or it's one last grandstand before they abandon ship altogether," L mumbled. "And if that's the case, we'll have to move quickly. From this point on our focus will be the publicity campaign, that factory incident in Takamatsu, Tamai, and Yotsuba's two surviving banks in Kansai. If we follow Tamai, we might also discover what role Shoriyado plays in this. We'll start by going over the list of prospective spokesmodels Shimura sent us last night. The preliminary auditions are going to be held tomorrow evening..."

* * *

Matsuda hunched over the steering wheel of the dark blue sedan, his eyes bleary from staring at the street corner for so long. There was no one else accompanying him in the car, with the exception of a pen and notepad lying in the passenger's seat. Messy and dated scrawls filled every other line on the first few pages, a complete account of Light's routine for the past two days.

_7:30 AM: Light leaves home; walks to nearest subway station_

_8:04 AM: Light arrives at To-Oh University_

_12:05 PM: Light finishes his morning classes; eats lunch at To-Oh's campus cafeteria; meets with a few friends outside (so far I've identified two of them: Saotome Ishigawa and Kiyomi Takada)_

_3:17 PM: Light finishes his afternoon classes; leaves To-Oh University_

_4:18 PM: Light arrives home_

_* 6:20 PM: Light leaves home again (in another outfit); walks to _different_ subway station_

_* 7:36 PM: Light disembarks subway at Roppongi District; enters Junido Stars Hotel (?); __currently investigating further_

In some ways, even though he was only tailing his boss's son, this assignment felt more thrilling than the stakeout he performed at Tsukiji fish market with Mogi and the rest of the SIS-L. Soichiro probably had his other reasons, but nonetheless, Matsuda was flattered at being chosen for this important task.

And, as he quickly discovered, it wouldn't turn out to be as tedious as he thought.

Every one of Light's actions was well within the realm of a normal college student—except for his treks to the Junido Stars Hotel.

But maybe he had a girlfriend. That'd be normal for a college student.

Granted, he never saw him meet or talk to a girl (a girl other than Kiyomi Takada, that is) but he'd only ingrained himself into the background of Light's life the day before, and maybe the girl showed up at the hotel first. Light seemed to be a highly efficient type, even when it came to romantic liaisons.

Or was it Takada at all? If he had to be honest, Matsuda didn't believe Takada was the kind of girl Light went for. She almost seemed _too _perfect for him.

…Okay, now he was over-thinking it.

But wasn't that why he was assigned to follow and protect Light? To make sure there was no disruption in his normal routine?

Which reminded him, Light would be moving to his college dorm tomorrow…

Matsuda blinked, then shot up and rubbed his eyes vigorously.

Yards away, Light emerged from the rotating front doors of the hotel, looking a little haggard. He looked around a couple of times (unable to see Matsuda's car from his vantage point), and then walked in the opposite direction toward the subway station that would take him back to his own neighborhood. He kept his eyes open for a girl who looked like Takada, but he didn't see one.

Maybe his girlfriend wasn't Takada.

Unless he wasn't meeting with a girl at all…

Matsuda shook his head as he shifted the car into gear.

He was over-thinking things again.

In any case, he'd report what he'd seen to Soichiro in the morning.

(End Chapter 46)

Silent Extra: Just for the long wait, you get _two _clues deciphered!

(From Chapter Four) Beyond sent L a numerical puzzle that, once solved, revealed three times: 5:01 PM, 10:31 PM, and 2:11 AM. 5:01 referred to May 1st (Watari's birthday), 10:31, of course, referred to L's birthday (October 31st), and 2:11 is February 11th, Naomi Misora's birthday. The events they corresponded with weren't coincidence, either. 5:01 PM (the flight time) signified L breaking away from Watari and descending into his darker secrets, 10:31 PM (Beyond's escape) referred to the "dark side", or shadow of L, and 2:11 AM (the receipt of the next clue) represented Naomi helping L "shed light" on the puzzle, as it was the only AM time.

(Also from Chapter Four) The clue received at 2:11 AM was "_Can't you see, L? A was a victim. Listen closely to both sides. Through the archways and across a sea of earth sits the paper church that holds your redemption._" The second half of the clue is explained in Chapter Five, and as for the first part, it was a phonetic riddle. "Listen closely to both sides" also meant to listen to the syllables of the first sentence. Getting rid of the words "can't" and "was a victim" by process of elimination, what's left is "you see, L? A", which led them to—where else?—UCLA.


	47. Train of Thought

Title: Silent Consonant

By: Dr. Kim-chan

Author's Note: Yes, I'm updating within a month's time. Nobody freak out; I'm just on a roll right now!

As I explained in the previous chapter, it was just a bit of a block. I just needed to figure out the details of Misa's imminent collision with Twelve (haha, now you get to play a bigger part, Light!), as well as what would be happening with the Yotsuba bunch (fine-tuning their little embezzlement scheme is actually proving to be harder than coming up with Beyond's clues). Now that everything's coming together perfectly, my motivation has returned with a vengeance. I'm also seriously trying to restart "Bakery Boys" and "Ronin Note" (haven't been in a humor-fic mood lately, oddly enough), so watch out for those as well.

* * *

It was a classic set-up. Light was sure of it.

And he might have unwittingly helped Beyond pull it off.

Not that he knew what the erstwhile serial killer had been planning at the time…and, as Beyond probably thought as well, the top priority a couple of months ago had been getting L out of the clutches of Broadmoor Hospital.

But then why go through all that trouble just to lead Watari and the SIS-L right back onto L's trail?

Light sighed inwardly as the ding of an electronic bell announced the train slowing down as it arrived at its next stop. He'd seemed to have caught this particular subway line on the tail end of its rush hour, so it was a relief when a few more people streamed out of the train car doors before they slid closed. Whether because of issues with his own personal space or out of paranoia (and he hadn't been able to shake off the feeling that he'd been feeling watched lately), he usually preferred to sit by himself, but tonight he was too tired to care.

Barely taking a second glance, Light plopped down next to a blonde young woman chatting away on a cell phone.

"…Remember that apartment I was looking at online a few weeks ago? The one in Takadanobaba—yeah, that's the one I moved into! I know; for the space, the rent was good, and it's still near Shibuya and Ikebukuro. All my furniture arrived yesterday; it took the whole morning for them to unload everything…aw, I was going to move here anyway. Osaka was great and all, but—of course you can come visit me! No, my audition's tomorrow afternoon, at this studio in Meguro. No, I'm not nervous…"

Listening so halfheartedly to her conversation, Light didn't catch the bell as the train stopped off again, this time in Takadanobaba. As he expected, the young woman popped up and ran through the train door, her pigtails trailing behind her.

_Finally_, Light thought.

His head flopped over, trying not to doze off and miss his stop, but he was roused again when his left arm bumped up against something in the seat that had separated him and the pigtailed passenger.

"Huh…?"

* * *

"Oh no!"

Just outside the Takadanobaba train station, Misa stopped, checked herself, and groaned loudly.

"_What's wrong?_"

"Arrrgh…you won't _believe_ this! I just lost my purse on the train!"

* * *

Room 1301 had fallen silent again.

With a change in wigs, makeup, and clothes, Wedy set out for another night of monitoring suspects; acting on a hunch, L asked her to temporarily turn her attention away from Tamai and start focusing on Shoriyado, as well as the private lives of Higuchi and Hatori. Light left for home, L's successors retreated back to Room 1303 to work on Twelve's secondary investigations, Carter and Bullook went to their rooms (but ever the professionals, both were still awake, wanting to keep their ears and eyes open to Room 1303), and Aiber insisted on getting some sleep.

Naomi thought she would be exhausted by now, but much to her own surprise, she'd quickly become used to staying up long hours—not FBI-long hours, but _L_-long hours.

Maybe it was the coffee. L had distinguished—and extremely picky—tastes in coffee.

"So Yagami-kun _is_ being followed?"

Naomi poured herself another cup of coffee before she returned to her seat next to L and answered his question.

"Has been for at least the past two days…you have one hell of an intuition, you know that?"

"Did you recognize the person tailing him?"

"I think so. He and this big guy named Mogi drove me and Raye to the hospital after the Tsukiji drop-off. His name was…Matsui? Matsuda? Something like that. He's been keeping his distance from Light, though, so I'm guessing his father doesn't want him to be a total nuisance. Either way, you can't really blame Mr. Yagami. I'd do the same thing if my son was kidnapped and the one responsible for it is rolling back into town."

"I'll say this much: at least Mr. Yagami has forethought. Better for one to be over-prepared than be caught unaware."

"So what about Light's move tomorrow? We're lucky Matsuda hasn't followed him all the way _into_ the hotel…not _yet_, anyway—"

"Maybe we should let him."

Naomi nearly spilled her coffee and took a double take at the detective, almost expecting to see a smile instead of the stone-hard dourness that usually occupied his face.

"In all the time I've been investigating cases, it's become both a learned habit and somewhat of a necessity for me to develop quick, firsthand psychological profiles, whether or not I actually meet them in person—and of course, most times I'm unable to. From what you've told me about Matsuda so far, he sounds inexperienced, but he works closely with Light Yagami's father, which says something about his potential, and I'm sure he had prior contact with Raye Penber. I'll dig up Matsuda's file to be sure, but with persuasion, we may be able to use him to directly infiltrate the SIS-L as we first attempted to do with your alter ego, Mitsuko Ona."

"What makes you so sure he'll go along with it?"

"There're other factors to consider, of course, but in general the younger someone is, the more they value their own personal principles over society's expectations of justice. In some instances that can actually be an asset."

L looked up after dropping nine sugar cubes into his cup and taking his first sip.

"That largely figured into why I chose you to assist me with the Los Angeles murders."

"You mean it wasn't just because I was off-duty?"

"At the time, there were fourteen other inactive agents within the Los Angeles jurisdiction, but your circumstances were the most compelling. Despite your reputation within the FBI as 'Misora Massacre', you requested time off after a raid on a local gang's establishment, and you hesitated in shooting a 17-year-old gang member trying to escape the scene."

"I just thought it meant I had a weak moment," Naomi grumbled. The memory of that botched operation was still fresh in her mind, even five years after the fact.

"It meant that despite your motivation and drive, you still held a particular moral ground, and that you weren't as reckless as your colleagues claimed you were. Nor did you hold any complexes one would usually expect from a female holding a high-risk government job; in fact, you were—are—clearly capable of weighing the options and evaluating the risks. You simply act on your inner judgment quicker than most. On the other hand, you aren't one to give up easily either. The low number of personal off-days you took were lower than average, so the fact that you asked for time off also revealed it wasn't a decision you had taken lightly. That raid also wasn't the first time you went against protocol, so you were also the most capable of acting independently, without alerting your superiors or anyone else to my involvement."

"…So what did you think of me quitting afterward?"

L stared blankly into his mug.

"I know it wasn't because Penber proposed; you would have continued to be an agent regardless of his wishes," he said bluntly. "If anything, you quit because your experience with me and Beyond had a profound effect on your conscience, as well as your outlook on what the realm of law enforcement is truly capable of."

Naomi scoffed; she wondered if L had the same effect on anyone else who crossed his path.

And for that matter…

"What about you?"

L glanced up.

"Me?"

"You said Watari and Beyond's arrival wouldn't change our plans, but I could tell you were nervous. You didn't expect Beyond to use Watari against you, did you? Or you just didn't expect for it to happen so soon."

When L raised one hidden eyebrow, Naomi explained pithily, "When the meeting started and you picked up your first _dango_, you didn't bite into it until Wedy started talking about Tamai. You just kind of…stared at it."

"…I see. So I wasn't wrong about you, after all."

The halfhearted flattery flew right over Naomi's head, and the same irritation she felt when she worked alongside him as Mitsuko Ona surged back.

"Damn it, L, you're doing it again! Keeping secrets may be all great and convenient for you, but it's not going to work this time! The last time you kept quiet, you almost didn't make it out of England alive!"

"I'm not mentioning Watari's true intentions because I want everyone to work without undue stress. As I said, independence of thought has its purpose, but I can't turn this into a personal crusade."

The former FBI agent's eyes flew up as if L had actually reached over and slapped her in the face. If that wasn't one of the detective's famous understated lies, she didn't know what was.

"You and Watari worked with each other for a long time. He was the one who brought you to his orphanage, turned you into what you are today…then you find out he thinks you're some kind of…_miscalculation_, and you're not taking it personally?"

"I just don't get emotionally attached," L said curtly.

"_Maybe that's the point Beyond's trying to make!_"

L nearly stumbled out of his chair as Naomi raised her voice; fortunately for the both of them, it was only her room that was adjacent to Room 1301.

In that same instance, a clip of memory from Los Angeles returned: the night she first met L in person at the Omni Hotel.

_Yes, emotion is a very powerful weapon, and there may be something deeper to this that I'm just not seeing right now…but if I become emotionally invested at this point, I'd only be making it easier for him._

"I wanted to join the FBI because I wanted to bring some kind of _justice_ to the world, and I agreed to join Twelve because I couldn't stand the thought of Watari getting away with any of this—not just Raye's death, but trying to kill you and fooling the SIS-L, not to mention what he might do to Near, Mello, or Matt if _they _ever disappoint him. Have you asked yourself that even _once_, why you solve cases? Obviously it's not just because Watari wanted you to be an elite; otherwise you would've given up and died in Broadmoor."

"…You mean whether or not I have an intrinsic sense of duty?"

"Yes," Naomi sighed, for once feeling as if she was getting somewhere.

As the tenseness that had built up in the hotel suite began to dissolve, with an extra degree of slowness, L picked up the spoon languishing in his cooling cup of coffee and stirred up the thick bottom layer of sugar.

"A peculiar observation. Among Watari's list of concerns about my eligibility as an elite, he thought that while I'd internalized some concept of justice, I didn't give cases the depth of consideration he believed I should have—that I treated each case as an intellectual challenge and didn't actively apply what I learned. As I recall, that was one of the requirements he set down in his thesis: not for the elite to treat each case individually, but rather use them as building blocks in the ultimate goal of reforming society into an ideal postindustrial state. Meanwhile, Beyond is trying to enact his own revolution, directing my steps to ensure that I defeat Watari, rectify what happened in the past, and change the world without the use of Watari or his legacy."

L dropped the spoon back into his cup, letting the clatter punctuate his sentence.

"And they're both wrong."

"Wrong?"

"They disagree on many things, but the one thing Watari and Beyond have in common is that they want permanent, irreversible change, and they believe the will of one person can accomplish it, but it's impossible. It is important for one to do all they can—there would be chaos otherwise—but there'll never be true perfection, at least not instantly. Did you ever believe that you or any one FBI agent, or the FBI itself, could completely eradicate crime?"

"No. That's impossible," Naomi said.

"Exactly. Regardless of what Watari thinks, humanity can't be reformed on a fixed timeline, and regardless of what Beyond thinks, life is more than a struggle between fate and free will. I do get a sense of accomplishment when I find a criminal or stolen item or what have you, but if I ever thought that anything I did would make the world a better place overnight or compensate for the evils of the past, my work as a detective would be futile."

"…That makes sense," Naomi conceded. "If I'd taken my job at the FBI too seriously, I would've quit _way_ before Raye proposed."

A pause, and Naomi shook her head.

"You still didn't answer my other question, though. What do you plan to do after this?"

L stared at her blankly.

"Before we discuss that, let's take care of Yagami-kun and Matsuda."

* * *

"What's with the purse?"

Light glanced up from Sayu's math homework—now finished with a lot of help from him—and followed his sister's gaze to a black purse sitting at the foot of his bed. Aside from the irreconcilable fact that it was in a boy's room, it looked expensive: hexagonal in shape, a hard pleather shell, a band of dark lace trim around the center, silver-plated rings and studs holding the shoulder straps, and a small silver-plated butterfly on each side.

"It's my girlfriend's," Light said flippantly. "She left it with me by accident. I'll take it back to her tomorrow."

"Ooh, a girlfriend! How come _we've _never seen her, huh? You just met her?"

"Come on, Sayu. I'm in college now. I don't have to bring around my girlfriends."

"Yeah, right. You'll be moving into your new apartment tomorrow. Won't have to worry about us anymore." Sayu pouted. "Well, whoever your girlfriend is, she must be fashionable. I think that's a Kuro-Cho purse."

"Kuro-what?"

"Kuro-Cho, from Ichika Shimasaki's accessories line. It's like upscale EGL," Sayu explained, not really understanding Light was a dim bulb when it came to fashion trends, let alone knew what the acronym 'EGL' stood for.

"Oh…"

"You're a boyfriend now, _nii-san_. You gotta start knowing some of this stuff."

"Speaking of knowing something, here's your homework. You're almost in high school; you should have gotten used to algebra by now," Light lectured, glad to have found an exit out of his personal life.

"All right, all right. Thanks, _nii-san_," Sayu said, plucking the paper out of Light's hand and bouncing out of the room.

Left alone again, Light got up and moved the purse over to his desk, contemplating rummaging through it one more time to discern where he might find the owner. She might've said out loud that she lived in Takadanobaba and was due for some kind of audition in Meguro tomorrow evening, but it still hadn't revealed any useful details…

Unless…

Light reluctantly turned on his computer, and through a complicated series of passwords and security countermeasures, connected to Twelve's private network.

Private folder…private folder…

Case Number 1212-J1. The Yotsuba case.

The list of spokesmodels the company wanted to audition.

Mitani…Kotoguchi…Chiba…Matsumoto…

Light blinked.

There she was. Number Twenty-Two.

Misa Amane.

(End Chapter 47)

Silent Extra: (From Chapter Eight) In the beginning of the chapter, L arrives in New York after flying in from L.A., and there's a brief mention that the plane left LAX around 11:02 PM. Beyond used the same numerological puzzle he did when L left France for Los Angeles, and by the same concept, 11:02 represents November 2nd, which is Wedy's birth date. (Though it wasn't mentioned, I also intended for L and Wedy to leave New York for Florence on a 7:17 PM flight (July 17th, Aiber's birth date). And again, they're both evening times, representing deceit and subtlety—exactly the talents they needed to infiltrate Wammy's House.


	48. Off Course

Title: Silent Consonant

By: Dr. Kim-chan

Author's Note: I'm glad you all liked the last chapter, but I have to tell you, that conversation between Naomi and L totally snuck up on me. However, it did bring up one major issue: what L will do once he faces Watari again. I expected him to have an answer right then and there, but L's just as slippery with me as he is with everyone else.

Also, I think I f'ed up in Chapter 43. I'd have mentioned it anyway, but I have a feeling some of you are trying to solve the Yotsuba mystery too.

So, Namikawa's business report said that Yotsuba had a 26% gain in their private sector for a total profit of 41 billion yen, and they also had a 34% commercial loss, but I forgot to include _that_ total profit. Luckily, in Chapter 44 I had Misora say "22 billion in losses", so I figured which number 22 billion was 34% of. Turned out to be around 42 billion, and with simple subtraction that came out to 20 billion, so in ten years they made 61 billion yen. Again I hope that's workable numbers, especially if you consider they'd be making a lot more if not for all this embezzling going on.

And no, I don't like math. I'm just horribly addicted to clues.

* * *

"Is our SIS-L private network and database up?"

"Yes sir."

"And our communications link with the Los Angeles Branch?"

"All set. Mogi has them on standby now, and Mr. Kitamura's arranged to contact them once Watari and Beyond Birthday have arrived. Watari should take it from there."

Soichiro nodded and got up from his chair, reaching for his coat.

"All right. We're about to head out to Narita Airport. Ukita, Ide, and the task squad we assembled will coordinate the transfer of Beyond Birthday to the holding cell we prepared on the second floor's north wing; after that they'll guard the entire floor around the clock until the investigation's over. Mogi and Mr. Kitamura will head communications with the Los Angeles Branch, and Aizawa and I will work directly with Watari. Also, keep in mind that Watari has the sole authority to talk to Beyond. After all our efforts negotiating with Interpol, we can't afford any more cross-signals. We may have more lives at risk here."

The office quickly stirred as police and investigators scattered in all directions, but before Soichiro went out the door, he made a final detour to Matsuda's desk.

"And of course, we'll be counting on you as well," Soichiro murmured. "Keep tailing Light until this is over. If needed, I can reassign Mogi to assist you."

"Yes, sir. The moving people should be at your house in about two hours."

"All right. Do you have anything to report?"

Matsuda glanced down at his notepad. "So far, nothing out of the ordinary. He goes to his classes, has lunch on campus, and comes home around four if he has no other plans."

He paused, wondering exactly how to proceed with telling him the next little tidbit.

"…But…the thing is…um…also, for the past two days at least, he's been leaving the house at six and going to a hotel in Roppongi. The best guess I can make is that he has a girlfriend, though I haven't seen him talk to anyone in particular—"

"Did you follow him in?"

"No! I mean, you said not to follow him too closely, and if I was right, I didn't want to intrude…"

"No, you're right," Soichiro assured, shaking his head. "You've only been tailing Light for two days. He hasn't said anything about a girlfriend to me or Sachiko, but he isn't exactly open about those kinds of things."

"Should I follow up on it?"

"Well, we'll have all this to deal with anyway. Today just keep an eye on the moving service, follow procedure, and take any precautions if necessary."

* * *

"What's the latest from the SIS-L?" L asked, keeping his eyes squarely on the road as he executed a tight right turn.

"They just left for Narita. Looks like Watari pulled out all the stops and arranged to come in by private jet," Naomi muttered, hunched over a small netbook in the passenger's seat. "After that Aizawa and Yagami will drop Watari off at his hotel, and the rest of the convoy will secure Beyond at the NPA."

Not that she expected anything less, but L had planned this day down to the second. Knowing that the NPA would be preoccupied with Watari and Beyond, together with Light's moving to his new place (which would be Room 1308 of the Junido Stars Hotel; the apartment would simply be a front for Twelve's activities), he knew there'd be no better time to try recruiting Matsuda.

As for Light knowing about any of this, as L so succinctly put it, "The less he knows about this right now, the less this operation will be compromised."

For the moment, though, everything was going well. The moving service arrived at the Yagami house on time, finished early (not that Light was taking much with him), and promptly drove off towards Minato Ward—which incidentally included the district of Roppongi and the Junido Stars Hotel. L also figured that if the distance between the hotel and the apartment wasn't too great, Light wouldn't arouse as much suspicion. He could still take the subway to Roppongi and no one would be the wiser.

Of course, after today that would be moot as far as Matsuda was concerned.

Naomi quickly flipped the netbook closed and braced herself as L made another sharp left turn and approached Shiragiku Manor, a mid-rise apartment building. As the moving truck parked directly in front of the building and Matsuda occupied himself with fitting his car into an empty curbside spot a block away, L blended into traffic to pass Matsuda's car without detection and parked in a narrow alleyway directly across from the apartments.

Where Aiber and a rental car also laid in wait.

"Scorpio. Aquarius," the jovial con man greeted, walking up to the driver's seat. "We're all set for our little performance?"

"Almost."

Naomi picked up a cell phone, dialed, and waited.

"_Scorpio Two. Number?_"

"Aquarius One. We're all set out here. Go ahead."

* * *

Matsuda shook his head and rubbed his temple as he heard his cell phone ring.

_Chief Yagami?_, he wondered. _They can't have made it to the airport already…he's probably just checking up on me…_

Fishing around in his jacket pocket, he pulled out his phone.

"Matsuda."

"_Matsuda…so I should assume I'm talking to Touta Matsuda, one of the investigators working for the SIS-L?_"

Matsuda stiffened, blinked, and sat up straight. The voice on the other end was unmistakably female, if not a little garbled, with undercurrents of self-confidence and playful sadism.

"Who is this?"

"_Considering what I have to tell you, that bit of information is rather irrelevant at the moment. If I were you, I'd be more concerned about the fact that Soichiro Yagami's son might not show up at his new apartment today._"

"Wha—?"

"_And don't bother calling for backup. We know you're the only active SIS-L member in town that's not cooped up in the NPA headquarters, and you can't call on police backup without due authority. Just do what we say and Light Yagami will be left alone…for now, anyway._"

"All right, I got it. So what do you want?" Matsuda asked, bringing his voice down to a hoarse whisper. "Does this have anything to do with Beyond Birthday?"

"_Smart boy. Then I'm sure you're also aware that my associates still have a few hostages in their possession: Naomi Misora, Halle Bullook, Stephen Loud, Anthony Carter…and of course the greatest detective L._"

"Hostages? But the last report from Interpol said—"

The mysterious woman sighed.

"_And here I thought you were smart. It was a bluff, and now with Beyond back in Japan, we're all standing on neutral ground. Now listen carefully: in five minutes you'll see a blue car pull out of the alley directly across the street from Shiragiku Manor. Follow it—not too closely—and wherever it parks, park as close to it as you can and wait for further instructions from my associate. And I have this number traced in case you decide to try anything._"

By the time the woman hung up, Matsuda was trying his best to squelch his nausea, and suddenly the movers going in and out of the apartment building dropped to the bottom of his suspect list.

* * *

"Just a few minutes more…" Light muttered to himself, his eyes switching between his watch and a large three-story building.

Determined to make a worthwhile contribution to Twelve's current investigation, the college freshman wasted no time after he finished his afternoon classes. After double-checking the location of the Yotsuba spokesmodel tryouts, he'd set out on a cross-town journey to the appointed studio in Meguro, the Kuro-Cho designer purse stowed away inside a more nondescript bag. He'd already told his mother he'd spend one more night at the Yagami house just in case his new place wasn't already set up, so to cover his bases, he called and gave his mother the same girlfriend story he gave Sayu.

According to the intel Twelve collected, these preliminary tryouts were from 2 to 5 PM—a little over ten minutes to interview each candidate, along with additional headshots for Yotsuba's records and some line-reading.

More importantly, three of the Yotsuba executives—Hatori, Higuchi, and Namikawa—were supposed to be here. It sounded like overkill, but those who got through today's trial would meet the entire executive board and the handpicked production and marketing teams for the final tryouts next week.

Now that he thought of it, his plan seemed a little farsighted. Even if he could make contact with Misa Amane, there was no guarantee she would be of any use after this week (though her extensive commercial experience would probably give her an edge; L himself had given her a solid 70 percent chance of passing the first tryouts). At the very least, he could gain insight into the tryout process, and maybe that would lead to more evidence on Higuchi and Hatori.

Light checked his watch again. 4:58 PM.

The next time he looked up, a small group of girls began to trickle out of the first-floor entrance. A couple of them were amiably talking amongst themselves, while others went their own way, looking understandably nervous about their future prospects. Always the skeptic when it came to women, Light had doubts about their intelligence, but in terms of looks, they were certainly the best that Yotsuba could find.

Among the beauties, Light almost looked over the blonde girl closest to the door. Without her pigtails and in a more sensible outfit, she almost didn't look like the GL poster child he came across in the subway.

Seeing that she was taking a moment to regain her bearings, he waited until a majority of the girls had scattered, then approached her.

"Excuse me…"

She turned her head, paused, and looked over at Light as she realized he was addressing her.

"Yes?"

"Are you Misa Amane?"

She nodded enthusiastically.

"Yes. Wow, I didn't think I had any diehard fans in Tokyo!"

Suddenly she stopped, her eyes widened, and she took a step back.

"…Aren't you Light Yagami?"

Now it was Light's turn for his eyes to widen.

"You…know my name?"

"_Everybody_ knows you!" Misa exclaimed, as if that should have been self-evident. "Weren't you the one all over the news a few months ago? The police chief's son who got kidnapped by that crazy detective? Misa was so glad when I heard you'd escaped; that must have been a really terrible thing to go through."

Light rubbed the back of his neck, his eyes darting around as if he'd been caught doing something illegal.

"Yeah…well…um, it turned out we were on the Tozai line train together the other night, and I saw that you left this behind, so I wanted to find you and return it to you myself."

He pulled out the Kuro-Cho purse from the bag, and despite the replacement blue purse dangling from her elbow, Misa jumped and squealed.

"You found my purse! I was going to buy a new one this afternoon, but I remembered I still had all my cards and money inside this one. I just moved here from Osaka, so I would've been in a lot of trouble."

Misa cradled her purse in her arms and sighed.

"Misa must repay you for doing something so kind…"

After a few seconds, Light realized he'd regained his advantage in the conversation, and after quelling his own misgivings about the aspiring model, he decided to bite the bullet and see how far he could go.

"You mentioned you just moved here. If you want, I could show you around. In fact, there's this great café nearby that I usually go to," he said offhandedly. "If you're not busy tomorrow, maybe we could…?"

"I'd love to," Misa said, almost a little too readily.

Before Light was ready to recite his digits, she whipped out a cell phone, recorded the number into her database, and dashed off toward the nearest subway, calling out a temporary farewell until the next day.

And somehow, Light had the sinking feeling that the situation had turned to Misa Amane's advantage, rather than his own.

(End Chapter 48)

Silent Extra: (From Chapter 12) Not so much a clue as it is an interesting tidbit. In the last elite project log in the chapter (the one that discusses Beyond's arrival at the orphanage), there's a passage that says, "_…This orphanage doomed people to a certain fate, B said. Apparently even L wasn't the exception, as B told him that he would die in a few years' time during a particularly difficult case._" Obviously I meant that to be an allusion to the canon plot of "Death Note", but in this story, the seemingly minor acts that were changed altered that reality, and is partly the reason behind Beyond's motivation, as L was the first to prove to him that one's fate could be escaped…

At least we hope it'll stay that way…


	49. Given the Choice

Title: Silent Consonant

By: Dr. Kim-chan

Author's Note: I have to give more props to Armagnac, who not only inspired another chapter title (I suck at coming up with chapter titles, as you'll see at the end of this chapter), but provided an interesting PM discussion about Beyond and his half-baked theories that's really going to help. I'm sure I don't have to tell you fine readers we may be in this for the long haul. Let's just say L needs to pass a couple more of Beyond's tests.

Then there's Misa, who's actually proving to be the hardest to write (and I'm not the only one; Obata says the same thing in "How to Read" 13). I don't know what it is about her; maybe because she's not as emotionally complex. Either way, she's going to prove to be quite the valuable ally. (BTW, I didn't forget about her. It's just that a lot's happening in this one day/evening. Her date with Light should be in the next (fiftieth?) chapter.)

* * *

At a side gate typically reserved for maintenance vehicles, airport security staff stood guard as two convoys exited the fenced-off runway area on the 'International Flight' side of Narita Airport. The private jet that touched down with Watari, Beyond Birthday, and a group of agents from the FBI and the British MI-5 would take up space in a nearby hangar until Beyond's trial was finished (which Watari expected to take a while, partly because of the massive international attention and cooperation).

If worst came to worst, if the search for the remaining hostages didn't have a positive outcome, there would certainly be new charges to tack on.

After winding through a narrow service road, the row of cars found its way back to the main parking lot, and then onto the highway that led back into the city. Unlike most of Watari's (or L's) other trips of this magnitude, the convoy called in was surprisingly humble: Soichiro's car, containing him, Aizawa, and Watari; a single police escort in front of them; a small van containing Watari's overseas guard and a fully shackled Beyond; and a second police escort bringing up the rear.

Separate, but tenuously allied.

It seemed to set the tone for the logistical and legal struggle to come.

"I apologize for the strain this operation must be putting on your men," Watari said, his mustache twitching slightly. "Hopefully the agents I brought with me will relieve some of the pressure. I also advised the visiting delegates to bring a minimum of three agents from their own countries. That way you can focus on the investigation while the trial can go along as smoothly as possible."

"Will the delegates be staying at different hotels?" Soichiro asked, unaware of some of the information Watari passed along to his higher-ups in regards to the upcoming trial.

"No. In this case, with so many people involved, there'll be safety in numbers, and I believe—well, I _hope_, that this'll be a rather short investigation. Interpol has received permission to hold the trial at the Metropolitan Government Building in Shinjuku, so everyone except the jury will stay at the Keio Plaza Hotel."

"How many?"

"Aside from myself, mostly the Interpol representatives of those who had personal stake in this investigation, as well as supervisory third-parties, the attorneys, and some overseas reporters. There's Japan, of course, which Mr. Takimura will represent, then America, England, France, Italy, South Korea, Russia, Morocco, China, Singapore, Canada, Brazil…we may be looking at up to a hundred and fifty, hundred and sixty attendees."

Watari paused, and both Soichiro and Aizawa realized it was a longer pause than was natural.

"…And while we have the chance to discuss this in relative confidentiality, I should also inform you that the prosecution is preparing to subpoena you and your son Light as witnesses."

* * *

_Riiiiing._

_Riiiiing._

Matsuda's glanced darted nervously from his suit jacket pocket to the sable-eyed man crouched in front of him.

"You may answer it, but please, try to act normal."

The directive almost sounded ludicrous considering where he was and who it was coming from, but Matsuda slipped his phone out of his pocket and pressed the appropriate button.

"Matsuda here. No, nothing significant to report, sir; the movers were on time, and they checked out. Your son will be on the—"

L held up two fingers.

"—second floor of the Shiragiku Manor. Room—"

A fluttery montage of more fingers.

"—237…yes. Like I said, I didn't see anything suspicious, but just to be sure I'll check out the building tonight and tomorrow morning before he moves in for good. How are things on your end?"

Matsuda's forehead wrinkled up.

"What—as witnesses? But I thought you were going to be a representative with Mr. Takimura! No, I understand, but…geez, he's really pulling out all the stops. So will my duties change after that, then? All right. I'll report in later tonight."

Matsuda hung up and heaved a loud sigh of relief.

"Not too bad," L muttered. "Did Mr. Yagami make any mention of Beyond Birthday or Watari?"

"Not really. They just got into the city and stopped to drop Watari off at the Keio Plaza Hotel, then—hey, wait a minute!" Matsuda yelped, already ten seconds too late to keep himself from spilling SIS-L secrets. "Tell me what's going on first! The whole SIS-L's still looking for you! And if you're here, then where are the US agents? And why is Miss Misora here?"

"I'll get to that presently," L said, licking the red bean cream out of a partially demolished pastry. "First, however, let me make it clear that I was never kidnapped, despite what you heard at that first Interpol meeting."

"How'd you—"

"I looked up your dossier in the NPA database. Entered the police academy right after high school, received noteworthy scores in marksmanship, self-defense, and general investigative subjects, then was assigned to the First Investigative Division under the supervision of Chief Soichiro Yagami. In the past year you've begun assisting him at Interpol meetings, including the emergency meeting that prompted the formation of the SIS-L."

L cocked an eyebrow as Matsuda broke out in a cold sweat.

"Don't tell me you thought we singled you out at random."

"I _thought_ you were terrorists after Light!"

"…Well, to start, this all started when I was called away from a case in France by Beyond Birthday," L began. "He'd been planning a break-out and had escaped by the time I caught up with him in Los Angeles, after which he began sending me sensitive data relating to my associate Watari. He chose a rather roundabout way to do it, I know, but as I'm sure you've figured out by his antics here, Beyond has a penchant for playing games. He also got Misora involved due to her earlier role in the Wara Ningyo Murders four years ago."

"I heard about that. The SIS-L held a briefing on him. He seemed almost obsessed with you."

"I suppose you could say that. We do share a past connection that goes past the L.A. murders, but to make the long story short, what I discovered was that Watari no longer wished to work with me, and his true motives were to oust me from my position as detective. Do not misunderstand; Beyond Birthday did need to be caught, and Watari had a real motive to find me, but that doesn't change the fact the SIS-L's purpose was largely misguided."

"Then you're saying all this…was a betrayal?" Matsuda asked, the barrage of new facts finally registering in his brain.

L sighed. "More or less."

Another brief pause, and with a sudden thought Matsuda's face suddenly screwed up.

"So if all this is true, what are you doing here in Japan? And what about what happened in Los Angeles a couple of months ago? With the mafia hit and Penber dying and you being taken to England and the other kidnappings—"

L held up one hand, stopping Matsuda in his tracks before all the sudden new information initiated a complete mental meltdown.

"At this point, any further information I give you would have to be told in the strictest confidence, and I can't do that unless I'm sure I have your full cooperation."

"Cooperation with what?"

"Along with Misora and myself, those who've been the most involved with the SIS-L's investigation and hadn't fallen too far under Watari's control, or were once involved with Beyond, gathered here at my request. We're now an independent group dedicated to uncovering every crime Watari's perpetrated over the past months. Obviously it'd be unwise to agitate the entire SIS-L at this point, but if we have a single person with direct connections, we can have some inside knowledge without arousing suspicion. The fact that you were assigned to tail Light would simply serve as an additional advantage."

"So you want me to be a spy."

"For lack of a better term, yes, though I don't think I'd put it so crudely."

Now Matsuda looked even less confident than he had when he first walked into the Junido Stars Hotel, even in spite of his puffed-up shoulders.

"First you fool me into thinking Light's in danger, then you say you'll explain everything but you don't answer the questions I _do_ ask—and you want me to just _believe _all this and turn on the Chief?" Matsuda shot back. "How do I know you really haven't turned on Watari and you're just using this as a way to bring down the whole SIS-L?"

"Mr. Matsuda…"

The young investigator was brought out of another semi-coherent rant as Naomi finally found an opening in the conversation.

"During the initial investigation in Japan, after I was 'kidnapped' from the hotel, my fiancé Raye went to the SIS-L, didn't he?"

"…Yeah. I was on my way back from Narita, and when I got to the headquarters he was at the front desk. Of course we'd been looking for you then, so I took him up to the SIS-L office. After that, the Chief and Watari decided to make him a temporary member of the SIS-L. I didn't work with him for too long, but he seemed like a decent guy. Spoke fluent Japanese, too."

"Then you also heard about the mafia ambush at MacArthur Park in Los Angeles."

Matsuda nodded somberly. "Yeah."

"Look, I apologize if we tricked you, but we had our reasons," Naomi continued. "After the drop-off at Tsukiji, Watari interviewed me and Light to discover Beyond's whereabouts and what he's done over the course of the case—I remember you were the one who drove me and Raye to the hospital, actually. I don't know if he told the SIS-L the same thing, but after the interrogation, Watari told me he was taking L back to England."

"No, you're right. After he returned to England, Watari said all the SIS-L would have to do was catch Beyond, and then we'd be disbanded."

"So between L, who was under the supervision of Watari and the SIS-L for at least forty-eight hours, and Beyond, who was still free at the time _and_ turned back up in Los Angeles, who would have been the better candidate to enact all these plans?"

The cool logic of Naomi's statement hit Matsuda like a splash of cold water, but a couple of doubts still remained.

"Then why did you pretend to be kidnapped and act as Mitsuko Ona?"

"It's true that I didn't count on L coming to Los Angeles or Japan—we'd lost track of each other after the Wara Ningyo Murders—but you have to believe that L wouldn't have shown up in the first place if something wasn't wrong, nor would he have left France and risked causing this whole panic," Naomi said. "And I know L. He has his…_methods_, but he didn't force me or anyone else to do anything, and if he does he has good reason. Just the fact that he's willing to show his face to you should mean enough."

"And if you still don't believe us, you could ask Light yourself," L interjected. "You're already aware he's been coming here every evening, right?"

"So he's a part of your group, too?"

"Mainly because Beyond kidnapped him, and that was probably his biggest mistake. Beyond had already figured out Misora was Mitsuko Ona and used Light to try and clear the decks, but by doing that, he made a subtle disconnect between himself and a 'desperate' me."

"And why would Beyond want to pretend to be L if he'd openly admit to his crimes in Los Angeles…?"

L and Naomi exchanged glances—quick glances, but ones full of hope that Matsuda was at last catching on to their way of thinking.

"On that note, Beyond might still have something else up his sleeve. Just because he's in handcuffs and set to be tried doesn't mean he's finished with this game. He's not the type who'd let himself be captured without doing it on his own terms."

"I thought that was weird, too," Matsuda admitted. "Beyond acted like he wanted leniency, but he wanted to be transferred to Japan so badly, even though his crimes here were almost as serious."

Naomi uncrossed her arms, using the subtlety of her body language take charge of the conversation.

"I know it all sounds a little hard to believe, but will you at least agree to help us? For Light's sake…and Raye's?"

In less time than it took L to completely devour his third pastry, Matsuda and his shoulders finally crumbled.

"We'll take that as a 'yes'," L said. "Now, we know the SIS-L's stretched to their limit today, so I'd advise that you go back and continue monitoring Light. When he comes back later tonight, wait until he leaves, then come back up here…and anything else you wanted to know, we'll be more than willing to tell you."

"But don't you want Light to know about this?"

"At the moment, it'd be more of a liability if he knew he was being followed, much less if he knew we have an insider in the SIS-L. The less suspicious he acts, the better, and meanwhile you can stay out in the field without suspicion."

Matsuda nodded, stood up, and began to let himself out of the hotel room, as fully intent on watching over Light as ever, but at the last minute, he stopped and turned around.

"Um…about what the Chief said on the phone…he said Watari expects him and Light to be witnesses at Beyond Birthday's trial, if that helps."

"Thanks. We'll keep that in mind," Naomi said.

As the door closed behind him, Naomi breathed a small sigh of relief, and L picked up his third red-bean pastry.

"I thank you for getting through to him, but I didn't expect you to appeal so strongly to his pathos."

"He seemed like the emotional type…and no offense, but I could see you weren't getting anywhere with him," Naomi said. "Besides, you said it yourself; he met Raye personally. I figured if he had even the smallest suspicion there was something more to his death, it'd throw all the other evidence into perspective."

"But you didn't flat out tell him about Watari's possible involvement."

Naomi leaned forward and picked up her cooling mug of coffee.

"Like I said, he came across as the emotional type. There's a difference between wanting to know the truth and turning into a vigilante."

* * *

"Really? Then we'll have a bit more freedom to move around then. All right, we'll be back in there in a second. I'll call Wedy myself. Okay, I'll tell them."

While L and Naomi arranged to meet Matsuda by themselves (as they didn't want the investigator to be too overwhelmed by meeting all of Twelve at once), they sent Bullook and Carter into Room 1303 with L's successors. Even with Beyond, Watari, and the all-encompassing Yotsuba case to deal with, Twelve still had other unrelated cases to solve, and over the past couple of months those responsibilities largely fell with Near, Mello, Matt, and their erstwhile bodyguards.

"So?" Mello demanded.

"It took some convincing, but Mr. Matsuda's agreed to cooperate with us. He'll come back later today. Meanwhile, I should be collecting Wedy's and Loud's latest reports."

Motioning to Carter, the two of them left to rejoin L and Naomi in Room 1301—and apparently not soon enough, as Near was finally free to talk to Matt.

"Have you found anything yet?"

Matt shook his head and grimaced, flexing his fingers as he took a break from pounding out some keystrokes.

"I'm up to 57,000 sub-folders right now, but I'm still getting nothing. If I don't find anything in the L.A. Branch's database, either Beyond deleted them on purpose, they're under some heavy encryption, or they're being stored somewhere else."

"Or L himself hid them."

Mello raised his eyebrow incredulously, offended by Near's suggestion.

"So this couldn't just be another one of Beyond's ruses?"

"I'm not counting that out, but it seems like too much trouble to go through to fool us into thinking what we're looking for is worthless, even by Beyond's standards. And I'm not saying L can't be trusted, but his behavior lately has been just as suspicious."

Once again falling into deep thought, Near curled a lock of white hair around his finger.

If he believed in serendipity, he would have taken their being interrupted by Carter yesterday to be a clear sign of what would transpire afterwards.

After learning about Watari's and Beyond's impending arrival to Japan, Near took it as motivation to press forward, and once they were left by themselves again to work on their assigned cases, he finished asking Matt what he wanted to ask: to look at any text files that might have been dated in the year 2000 or later. Whether this all really had to do with A or Wammy's House or the elite project, there was a chance that the most damning evidence would be found in Watari's subjective records of the Los Angeles BB Murder Cases.

Problem was, they were currently nowhere to be found.

Though Near had a sneaking suspicion the upcoming trial would drag a few more hidden things out into the open.

(End Chapter 49)

Silent Extra: I figured the Silent Extras shouldn't only be stuff from the fic, but also give you insight into the crazy mind that writes it. This time, I want to give you chapter titles that didn't make it past the chopping block, from 1 to 5.

Chapter 1: "Passing Glance", "See No Evil" (too cliché, though the final title was an adaption of this one), "Monotony" (sounded too much like the title of the first DN manga chapter, 'Boredom'), "Gossip", "Absent" (referring to both the absence of the Death Note and L)

Chapter 2: I pretty much ran dry here; "Interpol, Interloping" was the first and best title I came up with. It also made me realize my unhealthy obsession with alliteration.

Chapter 3: "Seconds To Go", "Hollywood Freeway", "Palm Trees", "Day Before" (kind of a stretched double meaning)

Chapter 4: "Cherries", "Winning and Losing", "12 and 13" (used in a later title), "Dungeons and Dragons" (I kid you not; Naomi comparing Beyond's tactics to that game was probably my favorite part of that chapter, but I thought it was a little too whimsical)

Chapter 5: "Curiosity", "Biting the Apple" (why always apples?), "The Bull's Bible", "Lesson One", "Paper Churches" (as in just that part, but I added 'Forbidden Fruit' because I thought it was a nice pun…y'know, church and sin?)


	50. Deeper and Deeper

Title: Silent Consonant

By: Dr. Kim-chan

Author's Note: Before we start, let's have a moment of silence for my laptop; the hard drive died last week. Luckily, I had most of my stuff backed up, but repairs and recovery took a while.

I also had extra incentive to continue on because, of course, this marks the fiftieth chapter of Silent Consonant (that's like, half of a hundred!), and with the holidays coming up, I concocted a special way to celebrate the occasion. The 301st reviewer will receive a _one shot Death Note fic from me_, and as for the subject: anything the winner wants! Any genre, any character, any _pairing_—bring it on! Because hey, it's people like you who encouraged me to get this far.

And why not an even 300, you ask? Well, since numbers have played a big role in this fanfic, three plus one equals (what else?) four. And reversed, excluding the zero, you get 13.

* * *

Like with every other aspect of its corporation, Yotsuba hadn't taken any half-measures in constructing its sponsored employee housing.

As a raven-haired Wedy walked down the open-air corridor towards Apartment 740-G, her eyes trailed across the edge of the rafters, spotting one security camera after another. She had to exercise caution, of course, but inwardly the thief had to laugh at scuttling around like a cockroach. There was little chance that Watari and the SIS-L would make the connection between a local Japanese company and the disappearance of L, Misora, and the American agents. For the most part they were running around the world clueless, more occupied with untangling the mysteries of Los Angeles and Beyond's upcoming trial than anything else; that was evident when Aiber entered and left Hong Kong with no trouble.

For all anyone knew, Satoru Komori was about to get a visit from his girlfriend.

Once she reached the right door, Wedy knocked, and a voice inside asked for a name.

"It's your Miyako-chan," she announced in a sing-song voice.

The false name worked like a code, and Loud let Wedy (or as she was to be called in public, Miyako Kanou) inside without hesitation.

"She's here," he said out loud as he closed the door—seemingly to himself, but a moment later Wedy noticed an open cell phone on the coffee table. There was a perfectly good phone hanging on the wall near the kitchenette, but this only proved Loud's competence. A land-line could easily be traced, especially in a building controlled by a singular entity.

"_Good. Let's start_," Halle's voice rang out from the tiny speaker. "_Kanou, what do you have?_"

"Well, the first thing to know is that Tamai's small potatoes compared to Shoriyado. They not only do personal and business banking, but insurance, accounting, investments, the whole shebang. But as big as they are, they had to deal with a big insider-trading scandal seven years ago. The two guys responsible were fired, but the company's stock still took a big nosedive. In fact, they used to do a lot of accounting for Yotsuba, but after that story broke out, Yotsuba was quick to drop 'em. Now Shoriyado's barely profitable, and their reputation's one of the worst in the country."

"Shoriyado would be the _last _bank I'd choose to buy out, then," Loud murmured.

Wedy strode over to the fridge in search of hard alcohol, but found only bottled water and a couple of beers.

"Now that's where it gets interesting. We know Yotsuba started talking with Shoriyado four years ago, the same time three of their Kansai banks went under. When I looked into some of Shoriyado's restricted records, it turned out that not only did they 'invest' in those banks, but they still have a hand in the other two…none of this being official, of course. I also saw a lot of liquidated assets being moved around in the months before the collapse—about thirty-five billion yen, to be exact—which means Shoriyado must have sold off a lot of its stock with full knowledge of the collapse and Yotsuba's buyout plan before the fact. They're also still periodically milking the other two for all they're worth, taking a little for themselves, but mainly keeping it in Yotsuba's hands. Meanwhile, all the other customers who lost money either had to settle out of court or settle for nothing."

"So if Yotsuba buys them out, they get all that money back...but that raises a whole other question. If Shoriyado knew all this was going on, then that means they were sitting on _thirty-five billion_ yen this whole time and didn't make a move to use it to save themselves—never mind whether any of it's illegal or not."

"_I have to agree_," Bullook said."_In typical embezzlement cases, the company is made to look successful, if only to mask the losses caused by the perpetrators' greed. With Yotsuba, they're purposely trying to make their company look incompetent, and all they seem to be doing so far is stockpiling big sums of money for some greater purpose._"

"Like what? Buying out Yotsuba itself?"

"_Or striking out on their own._"

"...Maybe that ties in to what I found out," Loud said. "I've been digging around Yotsuba's personal network myself, but I got all I needed to know from office gossip. Last fiscal year, a member of Yotsuba's board of directors retired, which left an opening for all the VPs. Niiyama's still trying to make a choice, but he's expected to make a final decision in a few weeks, after the publicity campaign gets underway."

"As good a motive as any," Wedy said, smirking.

"But this isn't the first time, either. Ten years ago there was serious talk Niiyama himself would retire on the back of his own scandal, mainly pertaining to his personal life. Then five years after that, the CFO died due to a heart condition, but the position was filled by the former VP of Sales, Yoshikazu Fujimoto."

A strange silence.

"_The _former_ VP of Sales? You mean Namikawa's predecessor?_"

"Yeah. Namikawa was promoted a month later, and if the latest rumors are true, he has a chance of following in Fujimoto's footsteps again. On the other hand, Kida, Ooi, Takahashi, and Higuchi are also strong contenders: Kida for his business sense, Ooi and Takahashi for their experience, and Higuchi for all of the above. Mido and Shimura seem fine where they are, and Hatori's probably being passed over on purpose…and no wonder after the president's scandal. I guess having an illegitimate son as a VP's one thing, but having one on the board of directors is too dangerous—"

"It's revenge."

Loud looked over at Wedy.

"Revenge?"

"Komori-kun, did you find any suspicious money trails leading to Higuchi or Hatori?"

"Other than some abnormal tax returns and some more potentially doctored records, nothing on them personally. They definitely enjoy lavish lifestyles, but nothing really out of the ordinary for VPs."

"I didn't find anything either, and that might say more about what's going on than anything else."

"How so?"

"Let's see...there's the factory accident, and the insurance policy from Tamai. The bank failures, the hidden assets, and maybe even Shoriyado's accounting link with Yotsuba before that. Higuchi muscling in on the negotiations. A promotion at stake, but no apparent greed."

She tapped her bottom lip. "What I'm thinking is, Higuchi got passed over the first time, then got tempted by Niiyama's close call, so he makes up a plan to overthrow the top brass. Cue Shoriyado and Tamai," Wedy explained. "Hatori's probably just going along for the ride."

"_Then what do you make of the one positive fiscal year in 2001?_" Bullook asked.

"…The factory accident in Takamatsu happened the very next year, so I don't think that was coincidence either. They probably needed to build up some funding for the project to begin with. That, and to make sure they had enough to cover their asses."

"_In either case, we'll need more evidence, and quickly. If this upcoming publicity campaign really is their last move, it won't be long before they do something drastic. Kanou, present us with all the physical evidence you and Komori found when you get back. Those tax returns may be especially valuable._"

"You got it."

* * *

Who was he going up against, really?

Misa Amane, accomplished model and actress.

Renowned for both her sunny disposition and dark aesthetics.

Landed her first gig at fourteen.

Her parents died when she was young, the locus of a homicide case that had yet to be solved within its jurisdiction, but she rose up from those hard times to make a mark in Osaka, then the whole Kansai region, then bit by bit, in almost every major city in Japan. Even if Yotsuba didn't choose her to be the face of their publicity campaign, her move to Tokyo wouldn't be wasted in the least; other jobs would always call.

Light spent close to a half-hour researching her last night, and for now he was willing to accept the possibility that he may have been mistaken about her. Despite her bubbly personality, she grew to be a heavy-hitter in the modeling industry. Her specialty was Gothic Lolita with undercurrents of rock and romanticism—exactly the type of girl who'd be carrying around a Kuro-Cho purse. On the back of dozens of commercials, the three movies she played in were modestly successful indie romances. However, any kind of positive film experience was a bonus for a model's resume.

Still, none of this would do Light any good unless she actually passed the first round of Yotsuba's tryouts.

Sighing, he checked his watch for a fifth time and rehearsed how he wanted to direct the conversation of this 'date'.

Small talk about him, not-so-small talk about her, a few compliments here and there, then gradually ease into the subject of her latest work, namely the Yotsuba tryouts…

"Light!"

He'd only heard it once, but Light could already recognize that high-pitched voice. A few patrons in the café glanced over at a blonde, ponytailed woman parading through the entryway, sunglasses dwarfing her face, white pagoda sleeves flying, her legs wrapped in a pleather skirt and striped leggings. The Kuro-Cho purse Light had valiantly saved from the train swung on her left wrist.

"Sorry for being so late," she mourned, crash-landing into the seat across from Light. "The antique mirrors I ordered for my new apartment arrived late, and I was still unpacking other things, then I had to run to a quick magazine interview."

She sighed heavily.

"I've only been in the city for three days, but my life's gotten even more hectic. People are already finding out I moved here, so Misa had to do a bit of sneaking around," Misa whispered melodramatically, tapping the frames of her sunglasses with her index fingers.

"I…can understand," Light muttered, reeling from Misa's verbal barrage. "It's all right. I wasn't waiting long."

Misa sighed in relief, beamed another one of her smiles and whipped her head around a few times. "This is a really cute place, though. I gotta get out of Shinjuku once in a while. So what do you recommend?"

"I usually get a coffee or a light snack after classes, but they have good parfaits and sundaes here—"

"Ooh. Parfait it is, then!"

As if summoned by Misa's willpower alone, a waiter arrived at the table. Fortunately for Misa, he must not have read many fashion magazines, as he took the two's orders (a strawberry-chocolate parfait with extra whipped cream and almonds, and a no-frills latte) and whisked off without so much as a raised eyebrow.

"You said 'after classes'. So you're still in college?" Misa asked.

"Yeah. You may have passed it on the way here, actually…To-Oh University?"

"Wow. That place is supposed to be _major_ exclusive, like Kansai Law or something! Misa stayed in high school for a while, but in eleventh grade she was earning enough to make it on her own, so she decided to go full-time. What do you study?"

"Criminal law. Then after I graduate, I plan on going to the NPA academy," Light said offhandedly.

"Oh right. Your dad's the chief of police here, isn't he?"

When Light shot her a quizzical look, she quickly added, "They said all that on the news when you got kidnapped by that L guy."

"Mmm," Light muttered, the unpleasant memories of strawberry jam and bound wrists surging back into his mind.

"You weren't scared at all?" Misa asked timidly.

Light steeled himself, but it didn't take long for him to spot a way to turn this conversation back to his advantage.

"At first. I didn't know where I was, who I was dealing with…but I knew I had to stay calm. If I panicked, I would've only made things worse. Luckily for me, it wasn't my life he was interested in. I was just his way of bargaining with the SIS-L."

Misa hummed thoughtfully, and Light could almost feel her aura of enthusiasm shrink.

"We have a lot in common. Misa's parents were killed by robbers a long time ago. Misa saw their faces and could describe them, but the police couldn't prove anything, so they never caught them."

Another brief pause, and what the model said next threw the sober-minded college student entirely off-guard.

"Do…do you ever feel like Misa feels sometimes? Like policemen and detectives and people like that don't do enough, even if they try their hardest? I mean, there's so many bad guys out there, getting away with all kinds of terrible things."

Light blinked as Misa's appeal brought up even more memories. Before this most recent Yotsuba case, before being recruited into Twelve, before he went out on that errand and got dragged into Beyond's crusade against (or alongside) L, before he heard so much as a whisper about L's sudden disappearance at cram school that evening…

Yes. He had felt that way. His desire to work his way through To-Oh University and enter the NPA academy went beyond an apathetic, predetermined destiny traced into the sands by his father. So long as he had the means and the intelligence to do it, he was going to take advantage of the situation and do everything he could to change the world.

But in just a few weeks, he was forced to realize that it wouldn't be that easy…and that it would probably never be.

If his collision with L and Beyond taught him anything, it was that being a detective in a little city in Japan amounted to almost nothing as far as eradicating the entire world of corruption was concerned. Even L, who once had much more at his disposal than Light could ever have—and even in his 'wretched' state, he still did—was facing horrors greater than himself.

But…

If not for the few who could see through Watari's façade…

If not for Misora and Penber…

If not for L's own stubbornness…

If not for Light, whose unwitting involvement may have saved everyone in the long run…

If not for the few, like Light's father, who actually cared about his job…

Who else would there be?

"I don't think law enforcement could ever do enough to stop crime, but it's not through any inherent fault of their own. That's just nature. Policemen and detectives are human, and people are always going to commit crimes, because they're also human. People are always going to be flawed whether they're authority figures or not. But you have to appreciate the people who do try, because without anyone to keep order, the world would be a lot worse off. When it comes down to it, all we can do is try, and that's what I plan on doing when I graduate from the academy. I know I won't stop every criminal or solve every crime, but the ones I _do_ get…the world will be better because of it. That's enough for me."

By the end of Light's speech, an ethereal, misty kind of gleam had come over Misa's eyes like a veil, and all she could do was nod and gape in awe. Not since she swore to herself one day in middle school that she'd be a top model had she heard that kind of commitment from anyone so young.

It was…very attractive.

"But that goes for anything people do in the world. I mean, it has to be the same with you, right?" Light asked, still intent on keeping the advantage in this conversation. "Why did you become a model?"

"...A lot of people think I'm into modeling because I want show off how pretty I am, but that's not true. I wanted to be a model because I like making others happy...and I learned a lot about fashion, so Misa can also give advice and help other girls feel beautiful, and that makes the world better. But I'd like to do other things, of course. That's why I came to Tokyo."

Light's eyebrow raised. This was his chance.

"So when I saw you that afternoon, were you coming out of a tryout?"

"Yep. For this big company's publicity campaign. If I get the job I'd be advertising cell phones, computers, and bank accounts for college graduates. I usually do clothes or beauty products, but my agency said this would be a big opportunity, and it was an excuse to get out of Osaka, so—"

A harsh but muted rock song interrupted their conversation. Immediately identifying her purse as the source of the noise, Misa dug out a cherry-red cell phone.

"Sorry. It's my agent," Misa whispered to Light, holding her hand above the receiver before answering properly. "Suzuki-san! What's up?"

Total silence.

For eight seconds, anyway.

"OH MY GOD!"

Along with his burning cheeks, Light could almost feel every well-established rule of social decorum shatter as Misa leaped out of her seat, one fist clenched in victory. Behind them, the waiter who had been carrying their orders to their table froze up in half-shock, half-horror.

"When? At nine-thirty…yes! Okay…all right, I'll do my best!"

Misa hung up the phone, lunged across the table, and grabbed Light's head and shoulders in a face-smothering hug.

"_LIGHT-KUN! I got through to Yotsuba's finals!_"

And right then, Light could feel one more thing.

His heart sinking.

(End Chapter 50)

Silent Extra: Today, character talk and some tidbits.

1. When I was preparing to bring Misa in, I was torn about keeping her habit of referring to herself in the third-person, because I wanted to make her a bit more three-dimensional. After some thinking, I finally decided she would use third-person if A) she was talking about something she wanted to distance herself from, or B) if she was purposely trying to convey the cutesy side of her model persona. Of course, that line blurs at times, but that's Misa for you.

2. Corcoran State Prison (formally 'California State Prison, Corcoran' or 'Corcoran I'): I chose this prison for Beyond mostly because it had an interesting infamy, namely being the current home of notorious cult leader Charles Manson (after his transfer from San Quentin in 1989).

3. Because almost nothing in this story is coincidence, neither was choosing all the fancy hotels L stayed in:

-The Omni Hotel, LA. Mainly because 'Omni' reminded me of 'Naomi' and I liked the presidential suite. Later on I realized the hotel sat on South Olive Street (SOS)—fitting, since this is where L first asks for help. The prefix 'omni-' is also usually used for words that describes something all-inclusive, like omniscience…which, at that time in the story, Beyond certainly gave off the impression he knew a lot about L's past.

-The Waldorf Astoria, New York. 'W' and 'A', for both Wedy/Aiber and Watari/A. The first two is pretty obvious, and as for the second pair, it's after L leaves America that he discovers the final hidden connections between Watari, A, and himself.

-Helvetia and Bristol, Florence, Italy. There actually wasn't too much thought put into this one. It was just one of the more beautiful five-star hotels in Florence.

-unnamed hotel, London, England (Chapters 10-13). At this point, L finding out the info from Beyond was crucial in itself, so I didn't even think of a specific hotel. It wasn't until later when I had Wedy and Aiber stay at The International (which reminded me of that movie about the corrupt bank). However, what _was_ important was L's room number: 315. (Likewise, the last log entry in Chapter 13 is dated March 15th.) If you know your classical literature, you'd know March 15th is known as "the ides of March", from Shakespeare's _Julius Caesar_. In the play, it's foretold that Caesar will be betrayed and killed on that date...which goes without further explanation.


	51. Hearing

Title: Silent Consonant

By: Dr. Kim-chan

Author's Note: So I'm at the new house (yay!), but because Murphy's Law is always present, it was _two whole weeks_ before we could get any internet (boo!), and then another MONTH before we figured out why it wouldn't STAY ON (double boo!). Then the battery in my laptop went kaput (boo forever!). So considering everything, plus the fact that I was just plain stuck on which direction to take this story without getting impatient and skipping straight to Beyond's trial, I decided to have _two_ new chapters lined up, with yet another coming very shortly. But apparently the rest of the world is/was similarly busy, as it's been really slow review-wise.

Anyway, here we are firmly in 2012 (the presumed 'end' of the Death Note series, coincidentally), so I just want to say thanks for your support, and I hope everyone had a happy belated holiday!

Oh, and don't forget the 301st review special!

* * *

_I don't know whether to count myself lucky or not._

Light ruminated over that afternoon's developments as he stepped through the front gate of his house. On the one hand, this little plan of his couldn't have gone better (and he now had a newfound respect for L's seemingly arbitrary percentages). Among nine other hopefuls, Misa was slated to continue on to the next round of Yotsuba's spokesmodel tryouts tomorrow. He didn't catch all of what came out of the excitable blonde's mouth, only that her lucky break had something to do with her potential 'screen presence', but they wanted to be sure she could come across as a little more sophisticated.

On the other hand, this meant that he had to be true to his own word. He had to follow this lead to the end.

Which meant tolerating Misa for a few more weeks.

Light checked his watch as he closed the door behind him and slipped out of his shoes in the _genkan_, a little act that had quickly become a force of habit.

7:25 PM. Just before dinner.

No one would raise a stink, and with Beyond Birthday's high-profile trial, his father wouldn't be home for a few more—

"Dad?"

On his way to greet his mother in the kitchen, Light was stopped short by an extremely rare sight: Soichiro, jacket off and tie loosened, hands folded in front of his face, sitting at the dining room table along with a surprisingly demure Sayu.

Before Light could completely get over his shock, Soichiro peered up at him through the rims of his glasses.

"Hello, Light. Your mother said you had a date this evening?"

"Yeah," Light muttered, his brain immediately switching to perfect-excuse-mode. "We didn't take dinner because I wanted to make it back—"

Soichiro waved him off.

"I'm glad to see you're still cautious, but you don't have to report to me. Besides, you'll be more or less on your own tomorrow. Can't expect you to live your life in a bubble…in fact, that's partly why I'm home early. Sachiko, Sayu, I want you to listen too."

Soichiro always maintained a level of somberness, so it was his careful choice of words that brought people to attention. Sachiko quickly set the table and carried out the food, taking her place across from Sayu.

"I know it seems as if I should be at work what with Beyond Birthday's trial and all, but a lot of the tasks have been delegated in order to streamline this operation. My main task is keeping correspondence with Watari and assisting with the search for the missing US agents, but even that's being temporarily suspended."

"What for?" Light asked.

A suspiciously drawn-out pause.

"…I've…been told that the prosecution wants you and me to act as eyewitnesses against Beyond Birthday, directly related to the kidnapping and what happened at the Tsukiji drop-off. Tomorrow we're supposed to go to NPA headquarters and be formally served with the papers. The trial itself starts Monday."

Sachiko covered her mouth as she gasped out loud, while Sayu's eyes grew large, but either reaction was nothing compared to how Light felt internally.

He would be coming face-to-face with Beyond again, and despite the general assumption that a courtroom was a controlled environment where perfect order reigned, there was no telling what havoc he could wreak.

And if this was all simply a means to a diabolic end, L and Twelve were as good as finished.

"They want Light to testify against that _horrible_ man? In _person_?" Sachiko protested.

"We still have to determine where the missing agents are, and until the Los Angeles Branch straightens things out, we need to make the rest of the charges stick, especially those related to Japan—but I don't want any of you to worry. The NPA has him under lock and key; Mr. Takimura and Watari guarantee that. They're still trying to determine whether he'll be given the privilege to appear in court in person or whether they'll simply set up a video conference, and even if he does show up, there'll be protection everywhere."

When Sachiko still didn't look convinced, Soichiro added, "Besides, I'm sure Light can handle this. There aren't many people _twice _his age who could cope with what he's gone through, let alone have such an ordeal be the center of international attention."

"I suppose…"

Soichiro shrugged and gave Light a brief sideways glance—a kind of surreal, all-too-knowing glance that Light was almost too frightened to return.

"…Of course, whatever Watari or the attorneys say, in the end it's his decision."

* * *

L stared blankly at Matsuda.

"Did you say 'Misa Amane'?"

Matsuda nodded, completely unaware of the deep hole in which he was about to dig his boss's son.

"I mean, I'm pretty sure it was her; I've seen her in a couple of magazines. They spent about two hours at this café a few blocks down from To-Oh University…you know, where Light attends. Sure looked like a date to me."

Matsuda grinned bashfully.

"Geez, chief's son, top student, _and _a model for a girlfriend. Light must have it made—"

"Misora, could you pull up the list of the spokesmodel candidates for Yotsuba?" L interrupted.

"The first one or the finalists' list?"

"Either one. What I really want is a picture of Misa Amane."

Noting the subtle but new edge in L's voice, Naomi put down her coffee mug, grabbed the nearest laptop, and after a few passwords and clicks, found what the detective was looking for.

"Was this her, Mr. Matsuda?"

Matsuda squinted at a mugshot of a joyous-looking blonde woman, and it didn't take long for his memory to be jogged.

"Y-yeah! That was her!" he exclaimed, pointing right at the glowing screen. "She was wearing these big dark sunglasses, but I recognized the rest of her face, and she was wearing a pretty wild outfit…"

It wasn't until then that Matsuda finally noticed the stony look on the panda-eyed detective's own face (as well as the bemused look on Naomi's).

"…What?"

"I already know you're going to disagree with me, and I'm not making excuses for him, but it really _could_ be coincidence," Naomi said to L, holding up her hands in some sort of metaphorical defense. "Come on. Out of all twenty-five girls, why would he go after Amane? And how'd he know she'd be one of the ten finalists?"

L didn't counter Naomi's argument immediately; rather he deigned to chew on his thumbnail as he pondered all the possible scenarios.

He had to admit, she was right about Light having such an oddly specific target as Misa. Not even Bullook and Loud, who had the most direct communication with Yotsuba at the moment, would have been told about the decision-making process privy only to the committee President Niiyama handpicked. On top of that, Naomi and Bullook had been doing a little background digging of their own (to make sure the spokesmodels themselves were on the up-and-up), and it turned out that Misa had just moved to Tokyo a couple of days ago. It wasn't entirely impossible that Light ran into her somewhere between the hotel, school, and home.

But Light still took his own reckless initiative, and once Beyond's trial got underway, he'd be more famous than Misa.

As if they weren't taking enough risks already.

"As I said, we've been taking on separate, low-profile cases while we've been keeping tabs on Watari and the SIS-L, mainly to keep up Twelve's image so that we can operate without too much interference," L explained to a confused Matsuda. "Our most recent case has to do with sabotage within a local corporation. They've been looking for a new spokesmodel for a publicity campaign in the past few days, and we've been following that lead."

"Oh…and Miss Amane's one of them?"

"Actually, as of yesterday she's one of the ten finalists," Naomi said. "Tomorrow they're holding individual rehearsals for each girl, and they'll publicly announce their final pick on Monday."

"Monday? That's when Beyond's trial starts…"

"Then you know why we'd be concerned. Until we're ready to confront Watari, the protection of our identities remains our top priority."

"But Light wouldn't give you all away," Matsuda protested.

"It's not about whether Yagami-kun can keep a secret—which I don't doubt that he can," L said. "When someone's slated to be the star witness in a high-profile criminal case, let alone one that's being handled by Interpol, the media tends to throw a particularly bright spotlight on them."

"But couldn't he just…you know, stay away from the hotel and not contact you until the trial's over?"

"That was our plan, but that's where Misa Amane figures into it," Naomi explained. "Granted no one knows about Twelve investigating Yotsuba yet, but once we start collecting all the evidence and turn in those responsible, there'll be a total fallout within the company, and if Amane's chosen as the spokesmodel, that'll bring even more unwanted attention. Besides, we might need to stay in contact; just because Beyond's going to trial doesn't mean he's done with us."

"Oh…"

"Of course, Yagami-kun has access to our investigation files, and by now he should also know about the subpoena, so he probably already figured out what he'll do next. From what I've seen of him so far, Yagami-kun prefers to take a highly rational, step-by-step approach in most situations. Spontaneity doesn't become him."

L paused again, this time for a little bit longer, staring at neither Matsuda nor Naomi as he kept his last thoughts in his head.

_Hopefully it won't end up being his undoing at the trial. Beyond is nothing if not spontaneous..._

Once out of his reverie, L reached for his coffee mug, suddenly reminded of a recent promise he was supposed to keep.

"Speaking of Yagami-kun, I believe I agreed to tell you about Twelve's operations, as well as everything that led up to it—"

Matsuda nodded earnestly, as if L was getting ready to tell him an exciting bedtime story, but the detective gave him an equally parental stern look.

"—But before I do, I want to ensure that we have a perfectly mutual agreement. Anything we tell you cannot be repeated to your colleagues at the NPA or within the SIS-L, and _especially _not to Mr. Yagami or Watari."

Matsuda nodded again, but this time a little more halfheartedly. It had begun to sink in that he was one of the few barriers standing between Twelve and the SIS-L, but that part of this whole deal still stung. Even if it wasn't personal, to keep secrets from the one who took the time to mentor and support him felt obscenely dishonest.

Then he took a glance at Naomi…

And remembered Raye.

* * *

Along a narrow, semi-dark road in Tokyo's upscale Chuo Ward, Wedy leaned back in the driver's seat of a dark blue car, groping for a pair of headphones attached to a listening device as her mascara-less eyes switched back and forth between an open laptop in the passenger's seat and a deluxe apartment complex.

Somewhere on the seventeenth floor of that complex lived a Mr. Takabe, the president of Shoriyado.

It hadn't been until recently when she was finally able to put a trace on his cell and home phone, but still, she'd expected to pick up some incriminating evidence already. Technically she did, but it was all read-between-the-lines stuff, in a tone that presaged doom and hopelessness. There was no question Mr. Takabe was under a lot of stress, communicating almost non-stop with Shoriyado's other executives as well as some of the company's traders.

Not surprisingly, the subject that came up most often was Yotsuba and its 'generous' buy-out offer.

But nothing yet, and right now, at this late hour, she didn't expect much else.

Wedy sighed and was about to switch off the machines when another call came in to Mr. Takabe's cell phone.

Another personal cell number.

And who the number belonged to made her sit up a little straighter.

(End Chapter 51)

Silent Extra: (From Chapter 13) At the end of the second log in the chapter, describing A's suicide, Watari says, "_After making my arrangements here, L and I will be returning to the United States and resume work on the Hutchinson Bank thefts._" I assumed this was around the time L encountered Wedy, and I always imagined they'd met while she was knocking over a high-profile, corrupt bank. I may make a side story of it someday.

And now, more chapter titles that didn't make the cut.

-Chapter 6: I only had one other option for this, which was "Theories", but "Elites and Advocates" sounded nicer to me.

-Chapter 7: "City of Angels", "Next Move", "Second Start"

-Chapter 8: "Two Scorpions", "At the Waldorf Astoria", "Champagne and Strawberries", "Cracks in the Walls"

-Chapter 9: Again I only had one other title in mind, which was "Nightmares", but even to this day I'm not entirely satisfied with the current title; I didn't think it completely captured the feeling of Beyond's flashback.

-Chapter 10: This chapter was rare in that "Cache" was the first and only title, _and _I was completely happy with it, especially since I was trying to succinctly summarize Wedy's and Aiber's undercover act and the fact that the next major clue L received from Beyond involved quite a bit of computer work.


	52. Rising Stars, Rising Stocks

Title: Silent Consonant

By: Dr. Kim-chan

Author's Note: As I promised, here's the next chapter right after Chapter 51. (Heck, by the time you read this I might have Chapter 53 up in the next week.)

I know it might be kind of bad for someone to say they're bored with writing certain parts of a story, but I expect to build up much more steam once we get to the much-awaited Interpol trial of Beyond and the stickier parts of the Yotsuba investigation, because Misa will indeed have a more involved role in this part of the story (and maybe in the future), and what happens after the trial will be rather…_interesting_, to say the least.

Anyway, enjoy the double-update!

* * *

"_What do you mean 'more sophisticated'?_"

Misa wrinkled her nose as she unraveled her ponytails in front of her vanity mirror. Amid the bottles of perfume and lip balm tubes, her cell phone lay open and set to speaker mode, the best friend she left behind in Osaka on the other end.

"Well, you know how I like to do a lot of Gothic-Lolita fashion, but my agent said I should start thinking about expanding, appealing to more people. This is like the next step up in my career, my chance to be…the '_Yotsuba Girl_'."

"_But you don't _always _go for GL, otherwise they wouldn't have picked you for the search._"

"And that was the funny thing; one of the scouts there remembered me from 'Blue For Us Only'! He said,—" Then Misa put her hands on her hips and switched to a mock-manly voice "—'I don't know if the rest of my colleagues here have seen you act, but what comes to mind for me is your 2002 film, 'Blue For Us Only'. I know some of your more hardcore fans made a big deal about how it wasn't one of your typical romantic comedies, but that just made me appreciate your performance more. Aoi Mizuno was pretty, but she was fighting for her love, not to mention trying to graduate college. Aoi Mizuno is the girl Yotsuba wants to reach out to and elevate with their products.'"

A derisive snort came over the earpiece. "_Sounds like a real fan._"

"He wasn't saying I should be all sad and serious, just to be more…_realistic_. Remember what my first agent always told me?"

Two giggles, and the girls recited the infamous phrase in unison:

"'_Be the girl that every other girl wishes they could be!'_"

"Except now it's just 'Be every other girl'," Misa continued, wandering over to her bed and picking up two skirts. "I just wish this second round of tryouts hadn't been on such short notice. How am I supposed to get into character when I have to be back at Meguro first thing in the morning?"

"_Just do what that scout said: find your inner Aoi Mizuno._"

"I guess so…and for starters I'm working on a new image. I bought some new clothes right after I got the call, and I'm gonna wear my hair straight down. I wish I had time to dye it—"

"_Speaking of, you never did tell me exactly what happened this afternoon. All you did was call me and start yelling._"

"Sorry. I was just so excited," Misa apologized. "Oh, and I never told you I got my Kuro-Cho purse back either!"

"_You lost an _8,000-yen purse_ on a Tokyo _subway_, and you found it the _very next day_? First a callback, now this._"

"You're not gonna believe _how_ I got it back either. So after the first tryout, I was walking out of the studio, and this guy comes up to me and asks, 'Are you Misa Amane'?"

"_Wait, wait, wait. He just walked right up to you and asked who you were? And he knew you were gonna be in Meguro that day? You gotta be more careful, Misa, especially in Tokyo, and after that other time—_"

"Okay, okay…but listen, listen! So then he says that he was sitting next to me on the train when I left my purse on the seat, so he hung onto it…but guess who it was?"

"_Who?_"

"Did you see that thing on television a couple of months ago, about the police trying to find that weirdo detective?"

"_And then all the news channels showed that tape with that police chief's son? Yeah, that was so insane…but what does that have to do with your purse?_"

* * *

He felt like he was about to sign his own death warrant.

In one of the NPA building's offices, Light and Soichiro carefully read the thin stack of papers that constituted the subpoena agreement. Sitting on the other side of the table was none other than Watari, along with the two attorneys handpicked by Interpol to head the case against Beyond Birthday. To reflect the ocean-crossing array of charges being brought against the wily criminal, one attorney was Japanese, while the other was an American who'd flown in earlier that morning.

Even as they sat in that tiny room, more attendees were steadily streaming in through Narita Airport, right up until the day before the trial actually began.

"We expect this to be a rather straightforward affair," the Japanese attorney said. "Currently Mr. Birthday is facing charges of conspiracy to commit murder in the cases of the SIS-L agents who died during the ambush in Los Angeles as well as FBI agent Raye Penber, possession and use of a firearm in Japan, threatening the SIS-L, obstruction of justice, the kidnapping and false imprisonment of your son, using a false identity, obtaining a vehicle by illegal means, crossing international borders, the attempted murder of the detective L, and his initial escape from prison, which included an assault on a guard."

"As for your concerns, Mr. Yagami…it's been decided that Beyond Birthday will indeed show up in court," Watari added. "With the coverage this trial is set to receive, it's mainly a strategic move on the defense's part. However, you have the assurance of both myself and the rest of the SIS-L that no harm will come to your son. He may have escaped prison, but this only means we're already aware of what he's capable of. Accordingly, we won't take any more chances."

Soichiro nodded slowly. Professionally he accepted the assurance, but as a father there was still a seed of doubt.

Light, on the other hand, had nothing but doubt. He knew perfectly well what Beyond was capable of, and that was _no_ reason to be reassured.

"Following standard procedure, the trial will open with both sides presenting their opening arguments, then the prosecution will analyze the evidence according to the charges, during which the defense has its opportunity to refute it, and then the defense may present its own case," the American said. "In light of the overwhelming evidence, Mr. Birthday has been offered a chance to make a guilty plea, but he has outright refused. We've also made it clear that we may seek the death penalty, but there's been little to no response from the defense."

Light raised an eyebrow, but tried to hide his surprise before anyone else in the room spotted it.

The attorney's last remark chilled him, if for no other reason than the fact that he was reminded of the report on the Wara Ningyo Murders he filched from his dad's computer files, right before that fateful walk to the NPA.

After going through all the trouble of taking the lives of Backyard Bottomslash, Quarter Queen, and Believe Bridesmaid, he meticulously set the stage for his own suicide—a final act that would have clinched the entire case if Naomi Misora hadn't intervened.

And it looked as if he wasn't going to fight for his life this time, either.

And the only thing more frightening than Beyond's ability to escape was the thought that Beyond was right where he believed he should be.

"As for Mr. Yagami," Watari continued, this time addressing Light formally, "there will be no real need to change your lifestyle; as I said before, we'll take care of security, and we'll do our best not to be too intrusive in your personal life. All we ask is that you refrain from divulging any details about the court proceedings to anyone."

"…Right."

* * *

Wedy set a palm-sized recording device down on the coffee table, so obviously giddy that her smirk couldn't get any bigger.

"Once again, your instinct never ceases to amaze me," she drawled.

L looked up at her, half curious, half dubious. Sitting with them inside Room 1301 were Bullook, Misora, and Aiber.

"To be honest, I thought I wasn't going to get anything out of Takabe, he'd been staying so tight-lipped, but last night I went out to listen to the taps again, and at around one in the morning he gets this little call."

Ceremoniously, Wedy pushed a button and sat back next to Bullook as the room filled with the audio of a two-sided conversation.

"_H-Hello?_"

"_Takabe. It's Kaneboshi_," a gurgling voice drawled.

"_Kaneboshi…? What the hell are you doing calling me at home?_"

"_Moron, I'm callin' you on your company cell, aren't I? What, you got someone listenin' in?_"

"_No! I mean, well, I don't think none of us can be too careful nowadays—not that it isn't too late already…_"

"_Maybe if you stopped jumpin' at shadows, nobody would have anything to suspect. It's like I told ya before: just keep your mouth shut and follow directions. Now, far be it from me to be making a social call at this time of night, but my clients wanted to make sure you had your mind set before everybody cashed in on their, uh, 'investments'. They don't want you going to pieces at the party and ruining everybody's good time._"

"_Party?_"

An irritated sigh.

"_What, you've been so busy bein' tight-assed you already forgot? They're holdin' a publicity party on Tuesday after they get done finding their little spokesmodel, aren't they? They're also gonna make the announcement about the merger, so it'd be greatly appreciated if you and Ishibashi were there personally. Y'know, make a toast on our behalf?_"

"_Right, of course. Well, tell…them…they needn't worry; I'll be all too happy to step down with what little I can get. Maybe then I can rest easy._"

"'_With what little you can get?' Heh, don't sell yourself short! Not many people get paid nine billion just for one juggling act._"

Pause.

"_Anyway, once the merger's finalized, everyone'll get their fair share, and you and Ishibashi can retire. I'm still waitin' on certain stocks to rise._"

"_Fine. I'll start making the final arrangements._.."

The audio then cut off abruptly as Wedy leaned over and pressed another button on the recording device. Though the sparse minutes of conversation was worth its weight in seconds, nobody said anything for a while. Even L took a moment to take a sip of cream-saturated tea.

"…So who's Kaneboshi?" Bullook finally asked. She didn't ask about Ishibashi; being the president of Tamai and a suspected co-conspirator, his name had already come up in Twelve's conversations dozens of times.

"Already ahead of you," Wedy said. "I dug around local records, including the NPA database, and he turned up as Ginzo Kaneboshi, known to inner circles as 'Mr. Silver'. Police have him pegged as a big-time loan shark with _yakuza_ connections. He's got a hand in almost everything you can think of: smuggling, prostitution, the local drug trade, racketeering, gambling…"

"And from the sound of it, he's a key link between Tamai, Shoriyado, and Yotsuba," Naomi added. "He didn't name anyone else, but he knows as much about this as we do."

"Including one detail we didn't know. It seems they're finalizing the merger sooner than we expected," L muttered.

"What was with all the hokey stockbroker terms, though? Even if no one had been listening in, that conversation would've still sounded suspicious."

"I believe I can answer that," Aiber piped up, raising his hand as if he were in a high-school classroom. "Granted I haven't really heard of anyone doing it on so big a scale, but…some individuals or criminal organizations pool together a bit of their money and use trusted connections to proliferate that amount by 'investing' it in illegal trades, sometimes with huge interest. Sometimes it's a way for the lender to muscle in on others' rackets, but most of the time the broker's just satisfied with receiving the kickbacks. Some call it sloppy stock trading, others call it sophisticated money laundering."

"Thirty-five billion taken from Shoriyado and the Kansai banks, potentially twenty-two million taken from their own company, then the factory insurance and Tamai, which was worth—"

"Approximately fourteen billion," L answered.

"Right…that comes to seventy-one billion yen!" Naomi exclaimed.

"With this Kaneboshi guy's interest, it's probably closer to ninety or a hundred billion now," Aiber said. "You'd be surprised at how much gold the _yakuza_ can spin out of thin air in a short amount of time."

"Not to mention being able to hide every last cent," Wedy complained. "But I guess if you're doing something illegal, you have to be a _little _smart about it."

"Heh, not that it's doing them much good now," Aiber chuckled.

"But Kaneboshi also mentioned 'nine billion for a juggling act'," Bullook said.

"Most likely Takabe's payoff for his role, and if he's stepping down as CEO completely, he may receive a severance pay on top of that," L explained. "No doubt Ishibashi will be paid the same amount."

"So what about the tax returns we found? Did that turn up anything?"

"Unfortunately, they weren't very valuable as evidence. They weren't so much altered to exaggerate or understate Yotsuba's financial situation, but rather certain figures were realistically fabricated to reflect both gains and losses—_sensible_ gains and losses. What's particularly interesting is that they almost perfectly match the data in the CDs Mido and Namikawa provided for us. Obviously there's all the money that can't be accounted for, but no one except us has perceived that amount; by all intents and purposes those amounts don't even exist. Whoever is in charge of the company's tax returns not only did an extremely thorough job, but they have an intimate knowledge of Yotsuba's inner workings. That's a clue in itself."

"Meaning there's a hundred percent chance it's a higher-up now?" Aiber jeered.

"Ninety-seven percent. Nothing can truly be a hundred percent, even if the facts are proven to the contrary," L reprimanded. "I was also alluding to the growing possibility that this might be a long-term scheme rather than something the perpetrators just thought up one day, let alone two or four years ago."

"Either way, I already passed this on to Loud and told him to keep his eyes open," Wedy said. "I'm still trying to find more on Tamai, but we might hit a bigger jackpot if we found a way to infiltrate that party."

"And Loud can't?"

"He just started there! Like he'd be invited to a shindig like that!"

"The publicity party is something to keep in mind, and we'll figure out a solution in the coming days, but there is one last fact we're overlooking."

L took another sip of his tea, but by this time it was almost ice-cold.

"The hidden assets Higuchi supposedly stashed away with the help of Ishibashi, Takabe, and Kaneboshi—that alone is something to think about, but obviously they didn't go through all this trouble simply to hide the money. In fact, they constructed this entire process almost solely to earn even more without too much suspicion. However, as Loud discovered over the course of this investigation, no one has touched it for personal expenses, and we've just now learned that there will be a distribution of funds after Yotsuba's publicity campaign gets underway. Takabe and Ishibashi are set to receive nine billion, and for argument's sake let's say Kaneboshi agreed to an amount of about four or five billion. That still leaves almost eighty billion yen."

Aiber raised his eyebrow.

"You're saying that's too much, even for two greedy execs?"

"I'm saying this won't stop with Tamai and Shoriyado."

The hotel room fell silent.

"…When we were looking over the data for Yotsuba's history and finances, I noticed the company's current total net worth was estimated to be between 65 and 75 billion yen. Of course, if they suffer a particularly crushing scandal anytime soon, their worth may lower even further. In either case, eighty billion is more than enough to carry out a hostile takeover."

Wedy rolled her eyes.

"A hundred billion yen, and they're still looking for a discount."

(End Chapter 52)

Silent Extra: Some more factual tidbits.

From Chapter 14: One reviewer already caught this, and some others probably did too, but in the scene where Aizawa and Ukita are staking out the hotel for Naomi and Raye, there's a sentence which says, "_A couple…but it wasn't the engaged FBI agents they were looking for. A young girl, looked like a teenager…a businessman rushing out to catch a taxi…a ruffled young man in jeans and dirty tennis shoes…_" The last sentence was referring to L, showing how in some cases his weird appearance actually lets him blend into the crowd (or at least lowers peoples' expectations that he's L).

From Chapter 16: Beyond sending the videos to the NPA was another nod to the canon plot, as you may remember Misa did the same thing once she decided to become the Second Kira. (And will Demegawa and Sakura TV make a cameo? Maybe, maybe not...)


	53. Count Down, Up, Sideways

Title: Silent Consonant

By: Dr. Kim-chan

Author's Note: Um…please don't kill me? Pretty please?

I really don't have a good excuse for being gone so long, but I do have this: a pathetic, pathetic apology in the form of a triple-chapter update.

And shows how long I've been gone; I didn't know the site had made so many changes in the past couple of months. But I have to say, I _love_ this new FF.N. Longer synopses limits, less glitches, _interrobang support_? (I tend to use a lot of interrobangs, so I was forever frustrated by "?!" turning into one or the other.) Most of all, I'm crazy about the fact that stories can now have image covers. I'm dying to give Silent Consonant one of its own, but I don't know what exactly to use. If any readers want to make any suggestions, you're welcome to do so.

* * *

"Yotsuba Corporation, Finance Department. Assistant Satoru Komori speaking…yes, sir, I'm finishing up the reports as we speak. Do you want hard _and _electronic copies…? Yes…I should have them done by Wednesday evening."

Effortlessly, Loud used the palm of one hand to hang up the phone, letting himself take no more than a three-second break from his frantic typing. However, writing up profit-and-loss reports and running to and fro from the printer was far from his primary concern.

That didn't mean he wasn't doing _some _work. He had a couple of spreadsheets displayed on the monitor—but partially tucked under the keyboard were printouts of data he and Wedy worked to excavate from the network's more restricted sectors, as well as a few things cribbed from the CDs Namikawa gave them.

If he'd learned nothing else from this investigation so far, anything they currently got from Yotsuba's database was likely not telling the whole story, the facts already glossed over by whoever was draining money from Yotsuba, Tamai, and Shoriyado. So far the only method Loud found useful was making tedious, line-by-line comparisons between Yotsuba's current database and the information Twelve had gathered. He'd already been here for about three days and seen nothing, and on top of that, there was no guarantee that the data in the CDs hadn't also been tainted, but crunching numbers was tiddlywinks compared to some of his prior workload at the CIA.

Somewhat motivated by the phone call, Loud turned his attention back to one of the lists he requested from one of his higher-ups, enumerating the Material Planning and Homes Division's sales and expenses. The department's lengthy label accurately reflected its purpose, as it handled a lot more than homes.

Loud began scrolling through the list of projects.

A multistory building, complete with an extensive surveillance system, to replace Sekimaru Company's older Saitama office complex.

A couple of new mid-rise apartment buildings in Tokyo's Shinbashi Ward.

Five private homes for individual (and prominent) clients.

A research facility for a burgeoning medical business.

Extensive renovations for a few more individual clients.

And this was just last fiscal period…

Loud stopped.

His eyes skimmed back over the dates, and then in-between the numbers.

Although a relatively recent addition to the company, Material Planning and Homes was Yotsuba's most financially stable area, headed by Yotsuba's second-most senior VP, Eiichi Takahashi. It was also evident that the key to Takahashi's success was the exact opposite of the aggressive sales tactics Higuchi used. Instead he ensured profits by keeping costs low and minimizing risks.

They'd already collected such strong evidence against Higuchi and Hatori, and with Shoriyado, Tamai, and Kaneboshi now in the mix, it hadn't seemed necessary to look anywhere else.

Of course, L had warned his colleagues against merely looking at the surface of things.

Apparently he'd been right.

Minimizing all other browser windows, Loud took out a CD, opened an e-mail program, and fired off a series of quick e-mails…

* * *

"…Welcome to Yotsuba Bank! May I help you?"

Sitting in an improvised green room, Misa (and on a more subconscious level, everyone sitting at the judges' table nearby) cringed as the high-pitched echo reached her ears, and she mentally subtracted a couple of points from the imaginary scoreboard in her head.

Way _too much energy. And it's "Welcome to Yotsuba Bank"—short pause—"May _we_ help you?". She missed that twice in a row…_

The end had come to another long day of auditions; Misa had her turn around eleven o'clock, so her nerves were already spent. So far, each of the competitors displayed individual strengths, but it had quickly become obvious that some of them weren't used to so much pressure in front of a camera.

And she couldn't blame them.

It looked as if Yotsuba had well prepared in advance for this. The finalists' tryouts were taking place in a much larger studio in the northeast outskirts of Tokyo, large enough to make two mock-up sets: one of a Yotsuba bank's lobby, and another of a young woman's paradisiacal apartment, all complete with a small-scale camera/sound team and director. In a series of screen tests, each girl had to play the parts of a bank teller, a college graduate opening their first checking account, and a carefree young woman enjoying a variety of Yotsuba-made electronics. Misa herself hadn't felt too confident during the bank teller bit, as it called for a certain degree of 'sophistication', but that morning she'd marched in with a few sparks of inspiration.

_I didn't know where I was, who I was dealing with…but I knew I had to stay calm. If I panicked, I would've only made things worse…_

_In the end all we can do is try, and that's what I plan on doing when I graduate from the academy…_

…_But it has to be the same with you, right? Why did you become a model?_

Granted he was a couple years younger, but Light Yagami was definitely wise beyond his years. Unlike some of the pretty-boy parasites that liked to hang around models or the Kansai tough-guys she ran across back home, he was safe, sure of himself and his future.

If she played her cards right, she'd get something much more valuable than a contract with Yotsuba.

A chance at love.

"Okay, that was the last take! Thank you, Miss Ojima."

The perky brunette bowed nervously to the director and stepped off the set. A few feet away, a sharply-dressed man with platinum blonde hair cleared his throat and called for everyone to line up in front of the sizeable table committee. Whereas the first tryouts were only in front of three executives, today it was all eight, plus two scouts and a couple more heavy-hitters from Yotsuba's marketing department.

"Well, first we'd like to thank everyone for arriving promptly, and for being patient while we ran through all the candidates," Hatori said. "As you may already know, taking on the role of the face of our company will entail a lot more than what you did today, but your screen tests here more or less encapsulate what we're looking for in our spokesmodel: one who will appeal internationally as well as locally, one who's aware of the needs and wants of our target demographic—still young, fun, and current, but emerging in the workforce. Above all else, we want someone able and willing to commit and take Yotsuba Corporation to the next level."

"Between now and tomorrow, not only will we be taking today's screen tests into consideration, but also the interviews you gave us in the first round, as well as all your previous work experience. Whomever we choose, we'll contact them or their agent in person, and we'll make the public announcement Monday evening at a special party, with our new spokesmodel and one guest of her choosing as our VIPs."

That last sentence in particular elicited a wave of hushed whispers and giggles.

"Then I suppose all that's left is thank you again and good luck, and to congratulate all of you for getting this far. Obviously you wouldn't have done so if you didn't have the talent and the beauty to do so."

After a semi-formal bow from both sides, the girls were finally dismissed, and everyone at the table also stood up to leave. The evaluation period in question would actually be divided into two parts: one tonight to discard the ones they were sure they didn't want, and another, much more intense meeting the next day to sort among the surer bets.

And in between, they still had to hurry to get their taxes squared away with.

That was probably why Takahashi's phone had been vibrating like crazy for the past several minutes.

Sighing and stretching his legs, he flipped his phone open.

"Takahashi," he growled. "We just finished up with the tryouts over here, so if it can wait until I get back to the office…"

"_Actually, sir, it's about some accounts-receivable documents we received from your division…_"

* * *

"Henh henh henh…"

The guard closest to the door of Beyond's makeshift holding cell twitched slightly. He'd already had a couple of days to get used to it, but their captive had one unsettling habit neither he nor his colleagues hadn't quite gotten used.

Whenever he was left alone with the guards (or whenever his lawyer was pleading with him for the umpteenth time to plead guilty), he sat in stolid silence, staring intently at the opposite wall as if he expected it to move.

Then—maybe at eleven at night, or ten in the morning, it was never an exact hour—he'd suddenly break into quiet laughter, or count a random sequence of numbers. Each day (or night) that the latter happened, each sequence would be much higher than the last, as if he conveniently skipped some numbers in-between.

Watari had already been told about this behavior, as they were worried the counting was some indirect reference to yet another scheme he had up his sleeve, but both Tokyo and Los Angeles were on high-alert, with all the supposed perpetrators under tight security and Beyond's court date in less than forty-eight hours.

What else could he possibly be up to?

"Nine million, three hundred and thirty one thousand, one hundred and ninety five…nine million, three hundred and thirty one thousand, one hundred and ninety six…nine million, three hundred and thirty one thousand, one hundred and ninety seven…giiive or take a couple of seconds…"

Brief silence.

"Hello…? Excuse meee…"

"What?" the guard grumbled, hoping to shut Beyond up. He tried not to engage too much with the captive, as per Watari's strict orders.

"What day is it?"

"April fourth."

"Japan Time, I'm assuming?"

"…Yes."

"Which makes it April third in Los Angeles by a few hours."

Pause.

"I was coordinating with local time, but once again, all timing proves divine. If the harvest virgin let curiosity get the better of him…if the archer's poised to release his arrow…and if the second water-bearer's ready to fill his vessel…"

Another pause—and this time the guard could have sworn he _heard_ Beyond grin.

"You can't ignore your shadow forever—you or that damn bull."

* * *

"So do his attorneys have _any_ plan for a defense?"

"As far as I understand it, since Mr. Birthday refuses to take a plea deal or give us any more information pertaining to the hostages he supposedly has, they're planning to take this from a purely psychological angle. Personally, I believe their only chance at this point is to simply save him from execution, and even that may prove a challenge given the sheer scope of his crimes—"

The impromptu conference between Watari and the prosecuting attorneys was interrupted by a beep on Watari's computer monitor.

"Excuse me…yes, what is it, Mr. Mogi?"

"_I have Mr. Mason from the SIS-L Los Angeles Branch standing by. He says it's urgent._"

"Put him through."

_Beep._

"Watari here. What's wrong?"

"_When Interpol let you guys handle Beyond Birthday's trial, I _presume_ it was under the assumption that you and the rest of the Japan Branch would keep him under lock and key—_and _away from any computers?!_"

"Beyond Birthday _is _guarded, Mr. Mason…please, could you calmly explain what's happening?"

"_About ten minutes ago, every computer in our building detected something in its SIS-L database, and then this, this…_program _popped up on all the screens! Some kind of timer or something…_"

Watari cocked an eyebrow. "Timer?"

"_When it started, it was set at exactly thirteen days. Right now it's at twelve days, twenty-three hours, forty-nine minutes and…what? Yeah, thirty-seven seconds and counting down. I already had a couple of our guys try to trace and analyze this. So far it doesn't seem like a malicious virus or anything like that, though there's a chunk of disk space our computers can't account for. All I'm hoping is that this isn't a countdown to some plot that maniac cooked up while he was out running free. I was also considering having the building checked for bombs; maybe you should, too._"

The two prosecuting attorneys exchanged worried glances, but Watari looked oddly unperturbed.

On the other hand, maybe his response wasn't so strange. After all, Beyond had cried wolf too many times already.

"If you mean the mafia, we may have already nipped it in the bud with the warehouse raid. Of course I agree it's better to be safe than sorry, but after all these years of dealing with Beyond, I can tell you that explosives or anything of that ilk don't particularly fit his MO," Watari murmured. "Even if he's backed up against the wall, he typically prefers subversion over outright chaos."

"_And that mess at MacArthur Park _wasn't_ outright chaos?!_"

"With all due respect, Mr. Mason, the trials have yet to begin, so we cannot assume all the details about that incident have come to light yet. Just in case, though, have the entire L.A. Branch on the lookout, and I'll mobilize anyone I can spare here."

"_For all our sakes, I hope you're right._"

(End Chapter 53)

Silent Extra: More chapter title talk, 11 through 15:

-Chapter 11: Not much decision in this one; pretty much went with "My Past, Your Future" from the start. "My Past" meaning L's and "Your Future" meaning Wedy's and Aiber's.

-Chapters 12 and 13: Because the numbers 12 and 13 had so much significance (and still do), I instantly knew what the titles of these two chapters would be: a paraphrase of Beyond's quote in Chapter 5, the words that started it all. I was also glad I was able to pace the story so that its first major climax would occur during those two particular chapters.

-Chapter 14: Strangely, the only chapter title in the form of a question, but given that there's a lot of uncertainty at this point concerning L's whereabouts, it fit. And of course, "our justice" refers to L, but it was also alluding to what was happening behind the scenes, namely how Watari could organize the SIS-L for such heinous ulterior motives.

-Chapter 15: I was considering something like "Missing" or simply "O" (for Mitsuko Ona), but there was a lot of little cause-and-effect events going on, then I had the idea to label each section with timestamps, thus "Four Hours" (four _separate _hours, of course).


	54. Nothing Less

Title: Silent Consonant

By: Dr. Kim-chan

Author's Note: _So._ Chapters 46 through 53 covered a little less than a week, including the Yotsuba tryouts. That said, this one will cover the day before Beyond's trial—which we'll finally get to next chapter. Sorry if things have been going at a snail's pace, but I wanted to adequately set up the next few bombshells. And they'll be big'uns.

Speaking of which, for those still confused by the Yotsuba case, it basically boils down to this: all of Yotsuba's recent "bad luck" (the factory accident, Yotsuba's failed banks in Kansai, etc.) was an elaborate ruse to build up funds and create future blackmail fodder, with the help of Tamai and Shoriyado. To both maximize their profits and hide them, the embezzlers pooled the stolen money into illegal investments handled by Ginzo Kaneboshi (who had a small role in canon). The embezzlers' most likely plan, as L explained in Chapter 52, is to drive down Yotsuba's net worth so they can take over, getting rid of their rivals and the president in the process.

Of course, that depends on whether they can get away with it…

* * *

"_Hi, Light-kun! It's Misa! I wanted to call and apologize for cutting our date short; Suzuki-san wanted to make sure I was ready for the second round of tryouts. I won't hear anything until tomorrow, though, so wish me luck! Anyway, you were so nice to show me around town, I wanted to return the favor and invite _you _out. I wasn't sure if Harajuku was your kind of place, though, soooo…Aoyama, maybe? Or Roppongi. Call me back and let me know! Bye!_

"…_To replay this message, please press 2. To save it, press 3. To erase this message, press 4…_"

Heaving a deep sigh, Light hung up his cell phone without choosing any option. On the other side of the table, Saotome Ishigawa and Kiyomi Takada—the same two acquaintances Matsuda frequently spotted hanging around Light—looked up and raised one eyebrow each…

Not so much because of Light's sigh, but because they heard the cheery blonde's message all the way through the receiver.

"Woah, woah, wait a minute…'Misa'?! As in 'Misa-Misa'? Like 'THE Misa Amane' Misa?"

Takada smirked as she delicately picked at her spinach-and-strawberry salad with a fork.

"Isn't she that actress from those lipbalm commercials?"

"Actress _and _model. And she usedto live in Osaka, but she just moved here over a week ago," Ishigawa muttered between sips of lemon soda.

"How do you know all of this?"

"It was in this week's issue of _Eighteen _magazine."

"Which only makes me more surprised Light's dating her and not you."

"Well, I wouldn't say we're _dating_, exactly."

"…'I just wanted to call to apologize for cutting _our date_ short'? Sure sounds like a relationship to me…unless this is some sort of fling, and we all know Light Yagami doesn't go around having flings with famous models."

Light wrestled to find the appropriate words for a rebuttal, but ultimately settled for burying his nose further between pages.

If it wasn't Misa's insistence on pursuing something serious mere days after they met, it was the way Takada played mind games and skirted around the issue altogether. Granted he appreciated her refreshing intellect, but sometimes her motives and actions didn't quite match up, a perfect example being her growing reputation as 'Queen of To-Oh'. She'd swear to anyone—up and down, every day—that she despised such a glib title, and yet she never missed an occasion to flaunt her etiquette and grace.

He wasn't asking for ribaldry, for goodness' sakes. He was asking for _genuineness_.

Not that he'd been getting much of it anywhere else lately…

"…Besides, you should be more concerned about this trial. I heard on the news that they're allowing that murderer to be in the courtroom."

"It's almost kind of funny, isn't it?" Ishigawa mused, earning another discrete eye-roll from Takada. "You come to To-Oh to study law, but you end up being the star witness in what may be the first and only Interpol-based trial to be held in Japan—and it'll be televised _globally_!"

"Not much to be concerned about," Light said breezily, much to Ishigawa's disappointment. "I just tell them what happened. Nothing less than the truth."

"'Nothing less than the truth'…spoken like a true student of Professor Teguri."

_Riiiing._

"That's probably Amane now!"

Light shot yet another glare at Ishigawa and looked down at the display screen.

Unknown number.

Well, it wouldn't be the first time Ishigawa was wrong.

* * *

"And it hasn't shown up on your computer…? Has there been any mention of it in the SIS-L's records? I see…well, it's pretty much the same with us; nothing too notable except for the countdown clock and some missing disk space…no, just our computers. So far Matt hasn't seen anything to suggest it's a trace program, but we restricted network access just in case. L probably already knows about it, but continue monitoring the situation yourself and inform us if there's any change."

Near hung up the phone but kept it cradled in his hand, apparently still in deep thought. On the other side of the hotel room Matt was in the exact same place, doing what he'd been doing for the past several hours: lying on his stomach on one of the twin beds, typing furiously at his laptop. At first Mello had been on his own laptop, helping Near pick up the slack with Twelve's secondary cases, but rarely had he seen Matt invest so much energy into a singular activity, and so he inadvertently found himself hovering over his friend's shoulder.

"Interesting," Near said. "It's showing up on the Los Angeles Branch's computers, but not the Japan Branch's; they weren't even aware of it until the FBI contacted them last night."

"That narrows it down, though," Matt said, cracking his knuckles. "So this clock thing must be associated with a file or a set of files both we and the Los Angeles Branch SIS-L have in our computers."

"Well, that rules out the elite project logs," Mello muttered. "No way Watari would leave anything like that lying around."

"But Beyond was able to make at least one copy of the whole folder. What if he sent them to the SIS-L?"

"Unlikely," Near dismissed. "If this is the same data L had Aiber and Wedy infiltrate Wammy's House for, I doubt Beyond would disseminate it so carelessly. All his actions so far seem to suggest the elite logs and what they entail is the center of his dispute with L and Watari, and anyone else becomes involved at their own risk, or his own discretion."

"Well, obviously he wants to involve _us_—but how are we supposed to figure out what he wants to tell us if he won't give us all the clues? It probably won't even matter in a few days."

Matt furrowed his brows. "What do you mean?"

"I _mean _that considering the mess he caused this time, he'd be lucky to get the same sentence he got for the Wara Ningyo Murders! Even if half of what's been going on wasn't actually his fault, he's still a previously convicted murderer who escaped from prison, kidnapped Light, interfered with a worldwide investigation, and tried to kill L at Tsukiji in front of multiple witnesses. He's already as good as dead to Interpol."

"I highly doubt Beyond won't go so easily unless this ends on his terms," Near muttered. "As L said, it was obvious his surrender in Los Angeles was a come-on. Next he gives Watari just enough information to lead him to believe we're all here in Japan, then makes up a story that he killed L and is holding Misora, Rester, Bullook, and Loud hostage, and when Watari calls his bluff and pushes Interpol to finalize the trial, he stops cooperating altogether. The way it appears, these next few days are probably a holding pattern until he can enact the next phase of his plan."

"And how exactly can he enact anything if he's in the SIS-L's custody?"

"I don't know…but I'm sure that what happens next depends just as much on Twelve as it does on Beyond."

* * *

In spite of the luxury and full-body stimulation literally beaming at Takahashi through the windshield, he released a deep exhale, squeezed his luxury sedan into a precious parking spot, and wished he was back at the spokesmodel consultation, arguing over pretty girls.

Not that he'd gotten much say in whose name Yotsuba was now poised to announce tomorrow; his department wouldn't need the help of this new marketing campaign. Like the good construction work he purportedly prided himself on, the Homes and Material Planning Division had been holding itself up pretty well ever since Takahashi took over for—geez, the company was so damn old, which one?—the fifth or sixth man to hold his position. All he had to do was watch the numbers, delegate, and pretend to be smart.

That'd been the plan, anyway…

Takahashi grimaced again as he stepped out of his car to cross one of the frenzied sidewalks symptomatic of Ikebukuro. Just as how Namikawa preferred Ginza to while away his spare time in, Takahashi simply left Tokyo altogether, escaping to the ease of Yokohama or the surf of southern Japan. He probably wasn't the brightest one in the boardroom, but even he was repelled by the 'younger' districts—Shinjuku, Shibuya, Ikebukuro. There were sumptuous places hidden anywhere if one looked carefully enough, but that wasn't the point.

One unassuming lobby, a mirrored elevator, and three floors up later, the flustered executive was welcomed into a dimly-lit lounge with décor that clung desperately to the kitsch of America's Roaring Twenties, complete with a low-hanging cloud of cigarette smoke. Foreign ladies darted in and out between booths and tables, serving drinks that cost more per glass than a designer watch.

And who else was in the booth farthest from the bar, the table already cluttered with three glasses and two bottles?

"How the hell did you two get here so fast?" Takahashi growled, scooting into the booth next to Higuchi.

"We left before you did, remember?" Hatori scoffed.

"I _know_ that! But expressway traffic was terrible getting over here. I had to swing around part of Bunkyo."

"'Expressway' doesn't always mean 'fastest way'."

As he reached for a glass with burgundy-brown liquid in it, Higuchi subtly craned his head around to make sure that the neighboring booth was still empty, then aimed a hard, sidelong glance at his hapless associate.

"Speaking of taking stupid shortcuts…"

Before Higuchi could rip into him, Takahashi started sputtering out a defense.

"All right! So I forgot to rewrite a couple of the accounts-receivable files from last year! We're already behind on sending in our taxes as it is! Shimura kept rushing me!"

"Of all the times for you to be worried about proper tax procedure. Besides, you had at least _four months_ to rewrite the damn things."

"All the other documents were fine; it was just those two I missed! Besides, it's not like nobody important saw it. One of the new interns in accounting spotted the error, and he reported it directly to his superior. All we had to do was make up some excuse, tell him to send it back, erase any other copy he made so there wouldn't be any 'mistakes' with the taxes, and wait until we gave him the 'correct' files. And since we're busy with this model thing, I got plenty of time to stall."

"'Now where have we heard that before…?" Hatori mumbled. "Oh right: four years ago, at the end of _2001_'s fiscal year."

Takahashi scratched at the stubble on his chin, subconsciously trying to hide his reddening cheeks. He put up with a lot, and he admitted he wasn't as savvy compared to everyone else involved in this, but he drew the line at being made fun of.

_Especially _by the likes of Arayoshi Hatori.

"I'm not gonna take that from the same guy who almost blew our cover with that whole disciplinary hearing mess—which wouldn't have happened in the first place if you hadn't been trying to cheat us out of our fair share!"

Now Hatori turned a bright shade of bright red, but before the sniping could turn into all-out fisticuffs, Higuchi finished off the last drop of alcohol in his glass.

"Neither one of you can count on getting lucky twice, especially since we're so close to sealing the deal with Takabe and Ishibashi," Higuchi chuckled. "Hell, even I gotta watch my back now. That's why we brought you two into this in the first place. This thing was pretty much running itself, but then certain…_people _got promoted."

For the first time since Takahashi entered the club, Higuchi's broad grin shrunk to a pained grimace, and neither Hatori nor Takahashi had to ask who he was thinking about in particular.

It didn't so much bother him that Namikawa was the youngest person to become a Yotsuba VP in over a decade, but it was _how _he'd done it. To rise up the ladder in corporate society, it often boiled down to who you knew, how many strings you pulled, how much you kept your head down and agreed with your superiors. But Namikawa was an entirely different breed. He disagreed just as much as he agreed, but he knew how to disagree with tact. He exuded intelligence, but never imposed it upon others.

All the more reason why he made a perfect scapegoat.

"I wish I was at the helm of this thing," Higuchi sighed, pouring himself another glass. "It'd feel all the sweeter, seeing his face when the news breaks: 'Yotsuba President Keigo Niiyama and Vice-President of Sales Reiji Namikawa Charged With Embezzlement and Fraud, Forced to Resign'."

He laughed out loud at the fantasy, but Hatori's face stayed sour.

"…Yeah, but only one of us can be the new president."

"Hey. At least there'll still be room on the board of directors."

(End Chapter 54)

Silent Extra: Taking a break from chapter titles. Let's talk about food now.

Usually when L appears with sweets, I try to draw inspiration from that particular chapter's events. Starting with…

-Chapter 4: Cherries. Though there's no shipping in the story, the idea of a late-night meeting at a hotel conjured up sensuality, something cherries represent (not to mention L's cherry-stem knotting).

-Chapter 6: Just tea with sugar. Something to keep him up while he read over Watari's thesis…

-Chapter 7: Beyond's coffee. Coffee is darker than tea, just as how Beyond's intentions tend to be darker than L's. I also had him use Raye's mug just to show his 'charming tactlessness'.

-Chapter 8: Chocolate-covered strawberries. To represent the partnership between Wedy and L. I've also been told they go great with champagne.

-Chapter 10: My personal favorite, inspired by reader Ithilelda; since L was in Italy it only made sense he'd get some authentic _tiramisu_.


	55. Perspective

Title: Silent Consonant

By: Dr. Kim-chan

Author's Note: Before we begin, I'm warning everyone now—I've looked up whatever info I could, but just remember that I am but a fanfic writer. That said, I will do my best.

And all this pseudo-legal blathering means what? That the trial is finally beginning, and Beyond is coming back to the spotlight (as much spotlight as I can give him, anyway, what with everything else going on). Also, I'm finally ready to take the Yotsuba case up a notch…well, a couple of notches. I hope this was worth the horrendous wait.

* * *

"About right—turn it—there…thank you."

With a small sigh, Carter straightened his back and stepped away from one of the extra end tables placed in front of the suite furniture. Along with two extra televisions placed on either side of the set that was already present in Room 1301, a rudimentary cable connection with a splitter had also been rigged up, with VCRs to record footage for possible future use.

And over the next few days, they would all be recording the same program.

To increase his chances for true objective observation of the trial, he'd also requested everyone else to join him in his suite and work there for the time being, only leaving to sleep in their own rooms or attend to immediate pressing matters, namely the Yotsuba case. By the time everyone finished plugging in laptops and moving their stuff around, Room 1301 looked like one big LAN party.

"Matsuda says Beyond should be en route to the Assembly Hall right about now," Naomi said. "Light we won't have to worry about for a while. He's not set to testify for a day or two; they're going to use the kidnapping charges as their ace-in-the-hole."

"You'd think they'd want to nail him with the strongest evidence right from the get-go," Aiber muttered.

"Since a lot of attention is being paid to the proceedings, my guess is that they want to establish competency and logical connections rather than simply 'nail him' and get it over with," L said. "His crimes have been largely non-sequential, with little apparent motive, and since Watari still wants to keep many of my—his—secrets, he can't emphasize revenge as a singular cause."

A grim cloud passed over Naomi's face when the words 'Watari' and 'secrets' were mentioned, but she shook off the gloomy aura as L switched each of the televisions to different local and international news channels, all of them with their cameras trained on the front of Shinjuku's Metropolitan Building…

"…_It's certainly been evident that the local police have been on edge since about 6:00 AM, but it could be said that stringent preparations have been under way in this country for the past several weeks. The NPA has even gone so far as to step up security at nearby Shinjuku Station in order to reduce any risk, but so far—ah, we're now hearing that the defendant's convoy is coming round and off the expressway—_"

* * *

While the mob surrounding the building's main entrance appeared hectic through the television screen, it felt at least five times more frenetic at the actual scene.

As Watari predicted, reporters from America and Europe were practically elbow-to-elbow with their Japanese counterparts, analyzing almost every second of the morning. A couple of journalists were also waiting in the wings, but some of them were already inside. Security guards and policemen were stationed within almost every conceivable space inside a three-block radius; most of the elevated street that cut through the complex and hovered over the Assembly Building Plaza was barricaded. A portion of normal government functions had been temporarily moved to different offices, but timely preparations had ensured vital bureaucracy wouldn't be stopped in its tracks.

Just outside the doors, despite the warmth of the spring morning, Aizawa shuddered and stiffened as he ensured that his watch said 8:13 AM. Beside him, Ukita held a ubiquitous cigarette between his fingers, the smoke and his demeanor ensuring that no more hapless policemen asked him any moronic questions about that morning's procedure.

They'd also heard about the arriving convoy.

"We're clear," Aizawa mumbled into a walkie-talkie. "Bring in Azuki."

He said it with a straight face, but it'd long since become an inside joke among the NPA: Beyond had hardly wanted anything to eat other than jam during his incarceration, so the Japanese police gave him the code name Azuki, a sweet jam made of red beans of the same name.

Of course, the sight that was to be seen would be anything but sweet.

A wave of hushed voices and camera shutter clicks swept over the whole crowd as a line of police cars swung around the circular drive and came to a stop in front of the Assembly Building, with a dull blue and gray van positioning itself directly in front of the manmade passage. Even Ukita dropped his cigarette and mashed it with a loafer heel as the van's back doors swung open and the noise rose to a mild clamor.

"…And we are now seeing, in person for the first time, the defendant of the Interpol trial. Official sources refer to him as 'Beyond Birthday', but of course that's most likely an alias. It's assumed his real name is being withheld for security reasons. He was known by that name for years, all the way back to his first major trial in Los Angeles—yes, that _is_ his court-appointed attorney next to him…"

'Azuki', indeed.

As journalists bombarded the attorney with questions he wasn't in the position to answer right now, some of the global news reporters went on and on about Beyond's appearance: the cuffed hands behind his back, the standard-issue jumpsuit given to him the night before, remnants of burn scars on his face and neck, hair left untouched by brush or comb, and (as L was likely taking mental note of right now) his eyelids and cheekbones were startlingly bare. Having gone without eyeliner for weeks, he hadn't had the chance to paint imitation bags under his eyes.

And then there was the smile.

It wasn't too odd, of course. He always seemed to have an inane smile plastered across his face. But today he was absolutely ecstatic, smiling straight into a row of camera lenses.

As if he had no idea what he was walking into.

* * *

And neither did Light.

In an eerie flashback to the weeks after Beyond kidnapped him, his professors had given him a few days' reprieve from his classes, an order that had come down from both his father and Watari. Though he wasn't being kept prisoner in the house by any means, Light had isolated himself to his room this morning, watching the live feed switch from the Metropolitan Building plaza to the Assembly Hall as he tackled a pile of catch-up assignments.

Though it wasn't exactly set up like a traditional courtroom, it was large and enclosed enough to serve as such, and with some rudimentary organization, no layman watching could tell the difference. A small section of seats on the upper tier's left side had been reserved for the jury members: a good portion of them Japanese, but all of them well-versed in international law and customs. With a couple of exceptions, the rest of the hall was almost standing-room-only; most of them presiding delegates, local and foreign guards, translators, reporters, and the odd clerk transcribing every moment.

Light's eyes strayed to a page of notes when the volume of his television dropped, and he looked back up just in time to see Beyond being escorted to the 'defendant's table'—in this case, the first of a few rows flanking one side of a three-seat podium, facing the gallery. On the prosecutor's side sat the Japanese-American attorney duo, Chief Takimura, his father…

And Watari.

His white mustache, his impeccable three-piece suit, his crinkled eyes devoid of all personal responsibility.

It almost made Light want to burn his textbooks, seeing this lunatic misplacement of justice—and worse, knowing he'd soon have to play a part in perpetuating the farce. It was as if someone scrambled the picture, placing Watari and Beyond in the wrong spots.

But this was why L formed Twelve, wasn't it? Some day they'd be able to tell the world the truth about what had happened.

As long as L worked up the courage to do it first.

_Riiiing…_

Shaken out of his thoughts, Light dug around scattered papers until he found his cell phone.

Misa.

Too wound up to think of any viable and potentially catastrophic reason she would be calling on this particular day, Light decided to kindly put her out of her misery and answer.

"Hello?"

"_Light-kun! Guess what?_"

* * *

"…The defendant is hereby charged with five counts of murder in the cases of FBI agents Everett Wayne, Marcia Addison, Jerald Janz, Otto Gibson, and Raye Penber, all of whom died during the MacArthur Park incident in Los Angeles, California. The defendant is also charged with conspiracy; two counts of attempted murder; use of a false identity; illegal possession and use of a firearm in Japan; the battery and kidnapping of the son of NPA chief Soichiro Yagami, Light Yagami; larceny; escape from prison involving battery on a prison guard; obstruction of justice by issuing a threat to the SIS-L and its member countries; the kidnapping of FBI agent Anthony Carter, CIA agent Stephen Loud, and former Secret Service operative Halle Bullook; and crossing international borders during the commission of a crime."

One could almost hear the jury take in a long, sharp breath as the judge enumerated every allegation the prosecution was bringing upon Beyond. He'd had _some _help, of course; the American trial against the mafia members concluded just a few days ago, with all the defendants having been sentenced to life in prison. (In the grand scheme of things, Watari had concluded, his so-called deal with Rod Ross was null-and-void, and no doubt the mob boss was stewing behind bars right now.)

But for just one person to be the mastermind behind so many heinous crimes?

The judge (who would probably have been out of breath if not for his deliberate tone of voice) then allowed for a moment of silence before turning his head.

"How does the defendant plead?"

The attorney appointed to Beyond cleared his throat and stood up.

"We plead not guilty by reason of mental incompetence."

Small mumblings of disbelief rippled through the Assembly Hall, but those sitting in the upper tier immediately caught an instantaneous switch in Beyond's demeanor.

"No, I don't."

The mumbling grew even louder, and his defense attorney looked as if he wanted nothing more than to melt under a puddle.

"…Do you wish to change your plea, Mr. Birthday?"

"I don't wish to say I'm 'mentally incompetent'," Beyond growled. "I already told my attorney that that was a ridiculous excuse, but he doesn't seem convinced I am capable of high intelligence."

"Then do you plead guilty?"

"No. I just want it on the record that I am not insane, and that I resent my attorney for saying so."

If this wasn't high-profile international court, Watari would have found Beyond's protests amusing. Almost verbatim, that was what L said to him when he drove him to Broadmoor.

"Then what do you wish to plead?"

"I don't want to plead anything. By principle I don't consider myself guilty, and if I say 'not guilty' in light of the presumed evidence, everyone involved in this case—including my own attorney—will consider me crazy anyway, which would be counterproductive to my original argument. But neither do I wish to plead 'no contest', because, again by principle, I don't believe in giving up."

On the verge of a migraine, the judge scowled and returned order to the now-tittering court with his gavel.

"Counselor, would you please approach the bench?"

* * *

"Well, if people didn't think he was crazy before, they definitely do now," Wedy exclaimed, reclining into a loveseat. "It's not even ten minutes into the damn thing and he's arguing with his own attorney!"

"Probably something else he's been waiting to pull out of his sleeve," said Naomi. "I guess he figures if he doesn't plead anything he can change the outcome of all this, namely the sentencing."

"It's pride," L said breezily. "He has a few other surprises in store, no doubt, but I imagine anyone with his intellectual capacity would resent being called 'insane' when they know what constitutes true mental illness, even in spite of all his reckless actions that would suggest otherwise."

Aiber leaned over his laptop and chuckled.

"Probably why being dumped in Broadmoor didn't sit very well with you either…"

The con man then immediately shut up as L shot him a very rare glower, the kind of look that said even _that _topic was a line that shouldn't be crossed around the eccentric detective.

At almost the same time, the judge announced that the court would interpret Beyond's noncompliance as a declaration of 'not guilty', and Bullook re-entered the room, having left a few minutes before to answer her cell phone.

"Who was it?"

"Mido calling on behalf of Namikawa. Sounds like they finally decided on their spokesmodel."

She sat down in a chair beside Naomi, and then slightly pursed her lips.

"Well, spokes_models_."

Almost everyone in the room collectively raised a single brow.

"You mean more than one?" Aiber inquired.

Bullook shrugged. "They spent almost all Sunday arguing about it. Remember how they primarily wanted to promote their banking services and their next-gen consumer electronics? When they whittled the finalists down to the last five, they thought one had the sophistication for their banking commercials, and they thought another had the international and youth appeal for their electronics. They reached a compromise when they started crunching the numbers and realized they could pay each girl equally, on top of royalties and publicity."

"So who are the winners?"

"…Yui Kotoguchi for their banking, Misa Amane for their electronics."

…Just as he thought: a seventy percent chance.

"So what do we do now?" Naomi asked. "If Amane invited him to tonight's VIP party—"

"Then we let him go."

"We let him—? I thought we weren't trying to attract any attention to ourselves!"

"I also said this wouldn't be the last time Beyond makes a spectacle out of this trial," L replied, redirecting his attention to one of the TVs, where the American prosecuting attorney was pacing the floor in front of the delegates as he delivered his opening statement. "In that case we'll need a diversion of our own."

L picked up a frosted doughnut with his thumb and forefinger.

"Yagami-kun chose to walk into this of his own free will. I have full confidence he can escape from it."

(End Chapter 55)

Silent Extra: L's sweets, Part Two.

Chapter 11: Tea and sugar cubes. Since he was in England, I gave him a standard. Also, nothing too rich to detract him from reading Watari's logs.

Chapter 12: I gave L tea again, but the more interesting points were 1) the log in the beginning explaining the start of his sweets obsession, and 2) the sugar cookies Beyond leaves at L's grave. I imagine A served as an anchor and counterpoint to Beyond, almost like how Light served as a counterpoint to L, so I figured, sugar cookies, light and plain.

Chapter 13: Chocolate chip cookies and strawberry tarts. Chocolate-chip cookies always felt homey to me, and L was "going back home", so to speak. The strawberry tarts and L eating them so slowly I just used to show how much he was being affected by reading the logs further in-depth.

Chapter 15: Angel-food cake. Naomi and L back together again, just like in Los _Angel_es. Also at this point it felt like L looked at Naomi as some kind of _deus ex machina _to his problems.

Chapter 18: Pocky. I simply wanted something that would make a loud sound when Naomi offered to confront Beyond. Also, it's Japan, so why not?


End file.
